Jess Simpson will rejoin the Falcons coaching staff as the team’s new defensive line coach. Bryant Young will step down from the position for personal reasons to spend more time with his family.
Simpson spent last season as the defensive line coach at the University of Miami. He was an assistant defensive line coach with the Falcons in 2017 after joining the team following a two-month stint at Georgia State.
Calls to Simpson went unanswered.
“We fully support and respect coach Young in this transition as it’s the right decision for him and his family,” head coach Dan Quinn said in a statement released by the team. “At the same time, we are excited to bring Jess back to the staff. His existing knowledge of our scheme and familiarity with our players will help add to the strength of our defense in 2019.”
Simpson is well known for his 12-year tenure as head coach at Buford High School, where he won seven state titles and had a 164-12 record.
Miami has already hired a replacement, Akron’s Todd Stroud, and said in a statement that Simpson “resigned to take a coaching position with a National Football League team.’’
Young spent the past two seasons at the Falcons’ defensive line coach.
“Over the past four years, I have learned the importance of keeping my family and those I love close,” Young said in a statement. “Unfortunately, due to health concerns and the season of life my family is in, we have not been able to be together as a family. One thing my son Colby taught me is to not take tomorrow for granted. Under the weight of those considerations, I have made the difficult decision not to coach this year with the Falcons. It was not an easy decision as I think highly of the Falcons organization and the staff I have worked with the past two years.
“I would like to thank Dan Quinn, Thomas Dimitroff, Arthur Blank and the entire Falcons organization for this incredible opportunity to be a part of something special. I have always appreciated and been grateful for the opportunity to grow under Dan Quinn as a player and coach, and I hope my time being here has added value in trying to pursue a championship.”
Young’s referenced his son, Colby, who died in 2016.
