Now that the Atlanta Falcons fired Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot, the only question that follows is who else will be shown the door across these next few days. Zac Robinson and Marquice Williams feel like safe bets, but a lot of who stays and who goes depends on the vision for the next regime.
The expectation these last few days was that the entire coaching staff was going to be gutted, but this isn’t exactly the case (and it shouldn’t be). The Falcons’ new head coach will most likely want to implement his own coaching staff rather than keep Morris’ guys, but that doesn’t mean everyone must go.
The search hasn’t gotten very far, namely because the Dirty Birds are hoping to officially hire a president of football beforehand. But once the search gets off the ground, expect a lot of movement on the coaching staff, but these three Morris assistants are forcing the new regime to retain them.
A few Raheem Morris assistants still may have a place in Atlanta in 2026
DC Jeff Ulbrich
This first name felt fairly obvious, but that doesn’t make it any less true. Jeff Ulbrich did a phenonemal job with the Falcons’ defense in his first season as DC, which was a far cry from what Jimmy Lake did. They were in the top half of the NFL in total defense, but ranked second in football in sacks in 2025.
For more context, the Atlanta defense finished second-to-last in sacks yet broke the franchise record this year. With that said, Ulbrich helped both Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. blossom into future stars, while his decision to sign Divine Deablo helped modernize a unit that was stuck in 2010.
The 48-year-old’s vision for the defense was predicated on youth and versatility, which helped the Falcons’ 2025 rookie class flourish despite a lackluster secondary group. The pass rush was revitalized due to him (and DL coach Nate Ollie), so they both must stay on staff with the new regime.
Luckily, it appears likely that he’ll be back next season.
OL Coach/ Run Game Coordinator Dwayne Ledford
There has been talk these last few days about every team in need of an offensive line coach lining up to make a run at Ledford, but that’s not going to happen. He’s been on record stating he wants to be back in Atlanta next season, and he feels like a safe bet to be retained on yet another coaching staff.
Ledford is the mastermind behind the development of the offensive line, but since adding run game coordinator to his title, Bijan Robinson has made back-to-back Pro Bowls and emerged as arguaby the best running back in football despite his OC having no idea how to manage his workload.
Ledford was brought in by Arthur Smith and was retained when Morris was hired, so there is a likelihood of him staying on despite another regime change. The 49-year-old seems to genuinely love coaching with the Falcons, so it seems like it would take a hard sell for him to even consider leaving.
In all honesty, if he wants to be back (which he does), he will be, since his track record speaks for itself.
Assistant Head Coach Jerry Gray
Jerry Gray isn’t as much of a household name as Ledford or Ulbrich, but he’s quietly one of the most important coaches on staff, After being named to four Pro Bowls as a player, Gray has nearly three decades of coaching experience and is widely respected by players in the Falcons’ locker room.
He mainly works as an assistant on the defensive side of the ball, and managed to keep the unit connected in the wake of the influx of injuries that hit them midseason. He is an elite communicator, and his experience helped Ulbrich’s defense take that leap to begin with.
Even Raheem Morris called him imortant to the team’s success, so retaining Gray will ensure the locker room culture stays strong under what could be a first-time head coach.
