Falcons DC Ulbrich ‘hopeful’ for head coaching interviews after NFL program
When the Falcons’ defense went through individual drills and team periods during OTA practices Monday and Tuesday, its conductor was over 400 miles south in Orlando, Florida.
Jeff Ulbrich, the team’s second-year defensive coordinator, missed the Falcons’ first two OTA sessions to attend the NFL spring league meetings. Ulbrich, along with 15 other assistant coaches, received an invitation to participate in the NFL accelerator program, which is designed to prepare senior level candidates for future head-coaching interviews.
The experience, Ulbrich said, “was fantastic” — and he’s optimistic he’ll eventually get the chance to bear its fruit during a hiring cycle.
“We get into these silos as assistant coaches, and I think defense, defense, defense,” Ulbrich told NFL Network. “And this has been an opportunity to step back and take a global look at what my vision would look like, and ultimately how to create that vision and make it real.
“At the end of the day, you’re hopeful this leads to an interview, and in that interview, you’re that much more prepared because they’ve really asked questions that I’ve never even thought about. So from that standpoint, there’s been a lot of growth.”
Ulbrich led the Falcons’ defense to a significant leap last fall. The team went from second-to-last in the NFL with 31 sacks in 2024 to second-best with a franchise-record 57 sacks in 2025. The Falcons also jumped from No. 23 in scoring defense in 2024 to No. 19 in 2025, and from No. 23 in yards allowed to No. 15.
The Dallas Cowboys reportedly requested to interview Ulbrich for their defensive coordinator vacancy in January, over a week before the Falcons hired Kevin Stefanski as head coach, but Atlanta denied the request and ultimately kept him on staff.
Should the Falcons take another step forward defensively this fall, Ulbrich’s market figures to rise along with it.
Ulbrich is no stranger to head coaching responsibilities. He was the New York Jets’ interim head coach in 2024, compiling a 3-9 record in place of the fired Robert Saleh. The Jets interviewed Ulbrich for the full-time position thereafter before hiring Aaron Glenn.
Yet while that season and subsequent interview process didn’t end favorably for Ulbrich, he feels he learned a significant lesson about the qualities and values necessary to succeed as a head coach.
“I’ve been with amazing head coaches, and they were excellent at keeping all the head coaching stuff off the rest of the staff so we could be so focused on attacking offense, defense, special teams, whatever it was,” Ulbrich said. “So, from that standpoint, I got an opportunity to see all the things that come across that desk.
“There’s tremendous power in having that experience and ultimately creating a plan for if I got that opportunity again, what would it look like? And I had failures that I’m going to learn from and grow from, and I had successes, too, for things I can replicate and be part of my next opportunity.”
Ulbrich, who began his coaching career in 2010, said no great coach in the NFL or anywhere else wasn’t a byproduct of a good coaching staff and roster. It’s imperative, he said, to surround oneself with the right coaches, be it for cultural or schematic purposes.
The accelerator program, as much as it advanced Ulbrich’s understanding of the interview process, was equally important for building a network of connections with other assistant coaches.
“It’s been a great opportunity to meet some coaches that I otherwise wouldn’t have had contact with and experience with,” Ulbrich said, “and there’s tremendous power in that.”
In addition to assistant coaches, the accelerator program featured 18 front office executives and future general manager hopefuls. The chance to connect with those figures, Ulbrich said, is similarly significant.
“Unfortunately, there’s rarely real alignment between coaches and GMs,” Ulbrich said. “And I know that sounds crazy to the fan because you’d think, billion-dollar industry, there’d be this great synergy between both houses. That’s not always the case.
“So, I think a big part of having success as a head coach is your alignment and your relationship with the general manager in place. Getting an opportunity to meet more of those type of guys, there’s great power in that.”
Stefanski said he’s sure Ulbrich, in some ways, would’ve rather spent Monday and Tuesday on the practice field with the Falcons. But the opportunity to sit across from presidents, owners and other key decision-makers from around the NFL was too valuable, too important, for Ulbrich to turn down.
And Stefanski believes, eventually, Ulbrich will need the knowledge he gained in Orlando.
“That time in hiring season is fast and furious,” Stefanski said. “So, I think it’s important that the people who are making those type of decisions get exposure to people like Brich. I think the world of Brich, and I think he’s more than deserving for that opportunity when it comes.
“I think it’s important he’s there and he lets people know who he is and what he’s about.”
Stefanski added the Falcons would “hold down the fort” until Ulbrich returned for Thursday’s practice. But Ulbrich’s absence wasn’t inherently detrimental to the team’s start to OTAs.
Despite the Falcons cleaning out their front office and beginning fresh with a new regime, much of their defensive staff remains the same as last year.
There are new elements, cornerback A.J. Terrell acknowledged, but the primary change is “just a little communication.” Instead of learning a new system with new rules and new verbiage, Falcons defenders merely watched last year’s film and corrected weaknesses.
“Coming into the same scheme is great,” Terrell said. “We love the philosophy and how we attack and go out here and play together. Just coming into the same scheme, that’s a plus. Like, you don’t have to do too much trying to find new work.
“It’s more so just building off what we left off on.”
Where the Falcons left off proved good enough for Ulbrich to generate outside interest, survive a regime change and keep his job. Perhaps after another year leading the Falcons’ defense, his stock will soar even higher — and with help from the accelerator program, he may now be better suited for it.
About the Author
Daniel Flick covers the Falcons and NFL for the AJC. He previously covered the Falcons for Sports Illustrated and chronicled the Indiana Hoosiers’ fairy-tale run to the national championship in the 2025-26 season.
