FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons are in the midst of organizational changes. The team has named Matt Ryan president of football, hired Kevin Stefanski as the new head coach and brought in Ian Cunningham to be general manager.
With a coaching staff to fill out and more front office hires to be made, this tracker will serve as your one-stop shop for all of the news and information regarding the Falcons' forthcoming decisions.
The Falcons will announce these hires and retentions as they happen. We'll provide those updates here, along with relevant background information about each individual. This tracker will contain coaching staff news as well as additions to the Falcons' front office.
Here's the latest on the Falcons' offseason personnel changes:
PATRICK TONEY
Date of hire: Friday, Feb. 27
Previous role: Toney was hired as the defensive coordinator of Ole Miss on Jan. 7, 2026.
Current role: Toney is joining the Atlanta Falcons as the defensive passing game coordinator.
Background: Prior to Toney being announced as Ole Miss' defensive coordinator on Pete Golding's staff this past January, he was the defensive backs coach for the Arizona Cardinals from 2023-25. This past season, the Cardinals ranked ninth in the league in pass defense. They allowed 230.8 yards per game to rank in the top 10. Before his three season with Arizona, Toney held defensive coordinator titles on Billy Napier's Louisiana staff from 2020-21, and then Napier's Florida staff in 2022.
JORDAN REID
Date of hire: Thursday, Feb. 19
Previous role: Wide receivers coach for the University of Wisconsin (2025)
Current role: Reid is joining the Falcons as their assistant quarterbacks coach
Background: Reid was the Wisconsin Badgers' wide receivers coach during the 2025 season as part of Luke Fickell's staff. Before joining Wisconsin, Reid spent two seasons as the wide receivers coach at Western Michigan University (2023-24), helping Kenneth Womack finish with a conference-best 76 catches in 2023. Reid has experience in the NFL as an intern with both the Carolina Panthers and Minnesota Vikings. Before getting into the coaching ranks, Reid was a standout wide receiver at Parkview High School in Lilburn, Georgia. He signed with Ohio University and caught 133 passes for 1,667 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Bobcats during his four-year career.
SHAWN HEINLEN
Date of hire: Wednesday, Feb. 18
Previous role: Heinlen was the Southwest area scout for the Cleveland Browns (2022-25)
Current role: The Falcons have hired Heinlen as their director of college scouting.
Background: Heinlen began his career in the league as a training camp intern with the Buffalo Bills two decades ago. Over 16 seasons of work with the Bills, Heinlen worked his way up from a college scouting administrator from 2001-03 to an area scout from 2003-17. Thereafter, Heinlen made the move to the Philadelphia Eagles as their Southwest area scout in 2018 after serving as a consultant for the Reese's Senior Bowl in 2017. It was there Heinlen first crossed paths with new Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham, who was the director of college scouting for the Eagles at the time. For the last four seasons, Heinlen has worked closely with some members of the Falcons' current coaching staff, too, as he was a Southwest area scout for the Cleveland Browns.
CHASE BLACKBURN
Date of hire: Thursday, Feb. 12
Previous role: Los Angeles special teams coordinator (2023-25)
Current role: Blackburn joins the Atlanta Falcons as an assistant special teams coach.
Background: After going undrafted in the 2005 NFL Draft, Blackburn signed with the New York Giants as a backup linebacker and core special teamer. Over the next 10 seasons, Blackburn would embody what it means to be a key special team contributor turned defensive standout, winning two Super Bowls with the Giants and being a team captain representing special teams through the 2010 season. As a coach, Blackburn worked his way up the special teams coaching ranks, holding positions as both an assistant coach and coordinator with the Carolina Panthers, Tennessee Titans and — most recently — the Los Angeles Rams.
RICKY MANNING
Date of hire: Tuesday, Feb. 10
Previous role: Manning was the cornerbacks coach for the Las Vegas Raiders (2024).
Current role: Manning is joining the Atlanta Falcons staff as assistant defensive backs/nickel coach.
Background: After a seven-season career as a defensive back in the NFL, Manning moved to a coaching role in the league as the assistant defensive backs coach for the Seattle Seahawks from 2016-17. He was a defensive assistant with the New York Jets from 2021-23 on Jeff Ulbrich's staff prior to taking a job as the cornerbacks coach for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2024.
BARRETT RUUD
Date of hire: Tuesday, Feb. 10
Previous role: Inside linebackers coach for the Atlanta Falcons (2024-present)
Current role: Ruud is being retained in the same role.
Background: Ruud has coached a dynamic inside linebacker unit the last two seasons, helping Kaden Elliss to finish second in the league among linebackers with 30 pressures and was one of two players in the NFL (Tyrel Dodson) with 100-plus tackles, 10-plus tackles for loss, 3.5-plus sacks and an interception in 2025. Ruud came to Atlanta after eight years of coaching at the college level, five of those years spent at the University of Nebraska, his alma mater.
JOHN TIMU
Date of hire: Tuesday, Feb. 10
Previous role: Atlanta Falcons defensive assistant (2024-25)
Current role: Timu is being retained and promoted to Atlanta Falcons' outside linebackers coach.
Background: Timu was a part of the coaching staff that helped the Falcons reach a franchise-record 57 sacks last season. He worked very closely with defensive line coach Nate Ollie, who was also retained. So, this is a familiar and positive partnership to carry into 2026. Before joining the Falcons in 2024, Timu spent three seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers as an assistant defensive line coach in 2023, a defensive assistant in 2022 and the Alex G. Spanos Coaching Fellow in 2021. During his final season in Los Angeles, the Chargers finished with 48 sacks, which tied for seventh in the NFL. That count was also the club's second-highest mark since 2000. Timu began his coaching career as a graduate assistant from 2019-20 at his alma mater, the University of Washington. He was a three-year starting linebacker there before playing another three years with the Chicago Bears from 2015-17.
MATT JONES
Date of hire: Friday, Feb. 6
Previous role: Jones was the offensive assistant for the Tennessee Titans (2024-25), assistant offensive line coach (2023)
Current role: He is joining the Atlanta Falcons staff as the assistant offensive line coach.
Background: Jones reunites with offensive line coach Bill Callahan after the two worked together in Tennessee on Brian Callahan's staff. Jones was actually retained when the younger Callahan was hired as head coach, having been previously hired as an assistant offensive line coach for the Titans in 2023. Prior to that point, Jones spent four seasons at Tennessee-Martin as the run-game coordinator, offensive line coach and tight ends coach. Prior to joining UT-Martin, Jones had stops as an offensive line coach at Texas Southern (2017-18), Jackson State (2016), Tulane (2014-15), Villanova (tight ends, 2013), Avila University (2011-12) and the University of Saint Francis (Illinois) (2002-10).
TOKUNBO "TUMBO" ABANIKANDA
Date of hire: Sunday, Feb. 1
Previous role: Director of college scouting for the Atlanta Falcons (2024-25)
Current role: Abanikanda has been retained with the title of director of scouting.
Background: Abanikanda joined the Falcons in 2012 as a scouting assistant before taking the role as an area scout, where he was responsible for the Southeast region of the country in 2013. Prior to his latest promotion, he was promoted to national scout in 2021. He continued to climb the ranks in the Falcons' scouting department in 2024 when he was named the director of college scouting.
TANNER ENGSTRAND
Date of hire: Sunday, Feb. 1
Previous role: New York Jets offensive coordinator (2025)
Current role: Engstrand is joining as the Atlanta Falcons' passing game coordinator
Background: Engstrand is an experienced offensive coach who spent five years in a variety of roles with the Detroit Lions before following head coach Aaron Glenn to New York. As the Lions' passing game coordinator in 2024, Engstrand helped the offense lead the league in multiple categories, including points scored (564), touchdowns (70), and first downs (410), while recording the second-most total net yards (6,962). With Engstrand serving as the passing game coordinator in 2023, Detroit finished second in the NFL in net passing yards (4,401), tied for fourth in passing touchdowns (30) and fifth in yards per attempt (7.60).
ALEX VAN PELT
Date of hire: Saturday, Jan. 31
Previous role: Los Angeles Rams senior offensive assistant (2025)
Current role: Van Pelt is joining as the Atlanta Falcons' quarterbacks coach.
Background: Van Pelt is a long-time NFL assistant best known for his work with quarterbacks, coaching the position for teams like the Bills (2006-10), Packers (2014-18) and Browns (2023-24). He was also an offensive coordinator on Kevin Stefanski's Cleveland staff until 2024, and was a part of the two playoff appearances the franchise made in those years. Since then, Van Pelt was the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots under then-head coach Jerod Mayo, before joining Sean McVay's staff in 2025 as a senior offensive assistant. He reunites with Stefanski in Atlanta.
MICHAEL BEARDEN
Date of hire: Friday, Jan. 30
Previous role: Cleveland Browns' Bill Willis Coaching Fellow (2025)
Current role: Bearden is joining as the Atlanta Falcons' Coaching Fellow/Offensive Assistant.
Background: Bearden's fellowship with the Browns had a focus on the offensive side of the ball, according to the Browns’ website. He previously spent two seasons at the University of Notre Dame as an assistant wide receivers coach from 2023-24. The Fighting Irish made it to the 2024 College Football Playoffs national championship with an offense that ranked seventh in the nation with an average of 37.6 points per game. Also in 2024, Bearden participated in the Chicago Bears' Bill Walsh Coaching Fellowship program during the offseason.
CRAIG AUKERMAN
Date of hire: Monday, Jan. 26
Previous role: Miami Dolphins special teams coordinator (2025)
Current role: Aukerman is joining as the Atlanta Falcons' special teams coordinator.
Background: Aukerman comes to Atlanta with 26 years of coaching experience on his resume. He coached at the college level for 10 years at the very start of his career but has been in the NFL for the last 16 years. Aukerman has worked for six different teams in the league, spending the most time with the Tennessee Titans from 2017-23. Aukerman first became a special teams coordinator at the professional level in 2016 with the then-San Diego Chargers. He has since also held that role with the Titans and Dolphins, tally eight years of work overall.
BOB QUINN
Date of hire: Monday, Jan. 26
Previous role: Senior personnel and coaching executive for the Cleveland Browns (2021-2025)
Current role: Quinn is joining as the Atlanta Falcons' senior advisor to the head coach.
Background: Quinn got his start in the league back in 2000, when he was a player personnel assistant for the New England Patriots' front office. He worked his way up from that point to being a pro scout for two seasons, a regional scout for four and one season as a national scout before being promoted to assistant director of pro personnel in 2009. By 2012, the Patriots had named him the director of pro scouting. Two years later, Quinn was named the general manager for the Detroit Lions, where he spent five seasons.
ROBERT PRINCE
Date of hire: Monday, Jan. 26
Previous role: Wide receivers coach for the Miami Dolphins (2025)
Current role: Prince is joining as the Atlanta Falcons' wide receivers coach.
Background: This is actually Prince's second stint with the Falcons, having worked for the organization in various coaching roles (assistant quarterbacks coach, offensive assistant, running backs coach and tight ends coach) from 2004-06. This was Prince's introduction into the league, where he has spent much of the last two decades. Prince has been a wide receiver coach in some capacity for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys and — most recently — Dolphins.
NATE OLLIE
Date of hire: Monday, Jan. 26
Previous role: Defensive line coach for the Atlanta Falcons (2025)
Current role: Ollie is being retained in the same role.
Background: Ollie was an important piece of a resurgent Falcons defensive front. Helping defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich implement an attack-style front, the Falcons' front went from ranking second-to-last in the league in sacks in 2024 to second overall with a franchise record in place in 2025. Ollie came to Atlanta after stints with the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts in the same role. His units at both stops saw similar levels of success to what Atlanta saw under Ollie in 2025.
JUSTIN HOOD
Date of hire: Monday, Jan. 26
Previous role: Atlanta Falcons secondary coach (2024–present)
Current role: Hood is being retained in the same role.
Background: Hood became the Falcons' secondary coach in February of 2024 as part of Raheem Morris' staff. Despite working under two different defensive coordinators in as many seasons, Hood's unit consistently produced. With his guidance, veterans like A.J. Terrell Jr., Jessie Bates III and Mike Hughes have played some of their best football. He also helped rookies Xavier Watts and Billy Bowman Jr. have successful starts to their careers. Hood joined the Falcons after spending three seasons with the Green Bay Packers as a defensive quality control assistant.
KEVIN KOGER
Date of hire: Monday, Jan. 26
Previous role: Tight ends coach for the Atlanta Falcons (2024-present)
Current role: Koger is being retained in the same role.
Background: Koger has been working with Falcons tight ends for the last two seasons. Most recently, Kyle Pitts finished the 2025 season with his best marks since his rookie year — 928 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Prior to joining the staff in Atlanta, Koger held the same role with the Los Angeles Chargers for three seasons. Before he got into coaching, Koger was a three-year starter at the University of Michigan as a tight end.
TOMMY REES
Date of hire: Thursday, Jan. 22
Previous role: Offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns (2025)
Current role: Rees is joining as the Atlanta Falcons' offensive coordinator.
Background: Rees spent the last two seasons with Stefanski in Cleveland, first as the Browns' pass game specialist/tight ends coach and then as offensive coordinator. He spent the previous seven years at the collegiate level, primarily at Notre Dame (2017–22) but also at the University of Alabama (2023). Rees has spent his entire coaching career thus far working with quarterbacks in some capacity, which makes sense given he was the Fighting Irish's quarterback from 2010-13.
JACQUELINE ROBERTS
Date of hire: Thursday, Jan. 22
Previous role: Coordinator of coaching logistics for the Cleveland Browns (2025)
Current role: Roberts is joining as the Atlanta Falcons' manager of coaching operations.
Background: Roberts got her start in the NFL with the Browns in 2024 as an intern within team logistics, according to the team website. She was promoted to coordinator of coaching logistics in 2025, earning his first full-time role in the league. Last year, Roberts also assisted with all coaching operations at the Senior Bowl, working alongside Browns assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone. Roberts graduated in 2024 from Ohio State University, where she was a student manager for the women's basketball program for three years.
DAVE HUXTABLE
Date of hire: Thursday, Jan. 22
Previous role: Senior defensive assistant for the Atlanta Falcons (2023-present)
Current role: Huxtable is being retained in the same role.
Background: Huxtable was brought on with the Falcons when Ryan Nielsen was the team's defensive coordinator, specializing in work with the defensive front, particularly the outside linebackers in 2024. Prior to joining the Falcons, Huxtable had 40 years of coaching experience at the college level, including 18 seasons as a defensive coordinator.
NICK JONES
Date of hire: Thursday, Jan. 22
Previous role: Assistant offensive line coach for the Atlanta Falcons (2024-present)
Current role: Jones is being retained in the same role.
Background: Jones has been with the Falcons as the assistant offensive line coach for two seasons, helping to direct a group that has produced one of the most productive rushing attacks across two years. Prior to that, Jones was in the same role with the Los Angeles Rams from 2021-23, where he was a part of a staff that led the Rams to a Super Bowl. He got his start in the league as a Diversity Coaching Fellow, working with the Falcons' offensive line in 2020
MICHAEL PITRE
Date of hire: Thursday, Jan. 22
Previous role: Running backs coach for the Atlanta Falcons (2022–present)
Current role: Pitre is being retained in the same role.
Background: Pitre joined the Falcons in 2022 as part of Arthur Smith's staff, and he has remained in Atlanta for now a third head coach because of the work he's done with Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, who have each broken franchise records under his tutelage. Since 2022, the Falcons have gained the fifth-most rushing yards and they are the only team alongside the Detroit Lions to have two running backs ranked in the top 23 in rushing yards. After coaching Robinson during the 2025 offseason to create more explosive runs, the third-year back scored the longest rushing play in team history. Before joining the Falcons, Pitre spent one season as the Chicago Bears' running backs coach.
BILL CALLAHAN
Date of hire: Tuesday, Jan. 20
Previous role: Offensive line coach for the Tennessee Titans (2024-25)
Current role: Callahan is joining the Atlanta Falcons as the offensive line coach.
Background: Callahan has an extensive coaching resume that spans more than four decades. He has spent more than 25 years in the NFL, primarily as an offensive line coach, where he's developed numerous Pro Bowlers and been widely regarded as one of the league's top teachers in the trenches. His resume highlights include stints with the then-Oakland Raiders, New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys. He has a large body of work in the college ranks as well, including a run as the head coach at Nebraska. Callahan reunites with Stefanski, whom he worked for from 2020–23 as the Cleveland Browns' offensive line coach.
JEFF ULBRICH
Date of hire: Monday, Jan. 19
Previous role: Defensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons (2025)
Current role: Ulbrich is being retained by Stefanski as the team's defensive coordinator.
Background: Ulrbich led a defensive unit in Atlanta in 2025 that went from second-to-last in the league in sacks in 2024 to second overall in 2025. The group broke the single-season franchise sack record behind an attack-style defensive system that Ulbrich implemented in his first year as the team's defensive coordinator. This is Ulbrich's second stint with the Falcons after being part of Dan Quinn's staff from 2015-20.
