The Atlanta Falcons hired former Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich to be their new defensive coordinator, the team announced on Saturday.
Ulbrich was New York’s defensive coordinator between 2021-2024 before he was named interim head coach after Robert Saleh‘s firing early in the season. The Jets, who finished 5-12 and in third place in the AFC East, went 3-9 under Ulbrich after starting out the season 2-3 with Saleh at the helm.
As DC, Ulbrich led a talented Jets defense that finished top-10 in the league in 2023-24. However, as interim head coach, the unit often fell flat and allowed 404 total points last season — the most its allowed since Ulbrich’s first year in New York (504).
Before joining the Jets, the former linebacker spent six seasons in the Falcons’ coaching staff, first as a linebackers coach from 2015-19. In 2020, Ulbrich split his time between linebackers coach and assistant head coach as well as defensive coordinator, making Saturday’s hire a reunion of sorts.