The Atlanta Falcons announced the hiring of Dave Ragone as offensive coordinator on Arthur Smith's new staff Thursday, and he's been an up-and-coming coach in the league who now gets his shot.

Ragone's background has been working with quarterbacks, which he did with both the Tennessee Titans and Chicago Bears. With 10 years of NFL experience in his pocket, Ragone will work with Smith to take the Falcons' offense to the next level.

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Now a major part of Smith's initial staff in Atlanta, here are five things fans need to know about Ragone.

Dave Ragone

Current title: Falcons offensive coordinator

Key NFL roles

Ragone has spent the past five seasons with the Chicago Bears. The first four seasons, Ragone was quarterbacks coach, and he was promoted to pass game coordinator in 2020. During the Bears' late-year playoff push, Ragone helped quarterback Mitchell Trubisky limit his turnovers and play with more consistency as a passer. In 2019 and 2018, Ragone helped Trubisky post back-to-back 3,000-yard seasons for just the third time in franchise history; he earned a Pro Bowl invite in 2018. Ragone's connection with Smith dates back to 2011, when he began a two-year run as Titans wide receivers coach before switching over to quarterbacks in 2013, his last year in Tennessee. He also played quarterback for three seasons in the NFL with the Houston Texans from 2003-05.

10 notable players coached

Chicago Bears

• QB Mitchell Trubisky
• QB Nick Foles
• WR Allen Robinson
• TE Jimmy Graham
• QB Mike Glennon
• QB Jay Cutler

Tennessee Titans

• QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
• QB Jake Locker
• WR Nate Washington
• WR Kendall Wright

Overall team and unit success while in prominent role

Chicago Bears passing game coordinator (2020)

2020 team record: 8-8 (Lost wild card game)

• Passing yards per game: 228.4 (NFL rank: 22)
• Passing touchdowns: 26 (18)
• Passer rating: 86.5 (24)
• Pass DVOA: 1.6 percent (23)
• Pro Bowlers: 0

Chicago Bears QB coach (2016-19)

2019 team record: 8-8

• Passing yards per game: 205.7 (NFL rank: 25)
• Passing touchdowns: 20 (25)
• Interceptions: 12 (16)
• Passer rating: 83.9 (24)
• Pro Bowlers: 0

2018 team record: 12-4 (Lost wild card game)

• Passing yards per game: 222.8 (NFL rank: 21)
• Passing touchdowns: 28 (14)
• Interceptions: 14 (21)
• Passer rating: 95.4 (14)
• Pro Bowlers: 1 (QB Mitchell Trubisky)

2017 team record: 5-11

• Passing yards per game: 175.7 (NFL rank: 32)
• Passing touchdowns: 13 (31)
• Interceptions: 12 (11)
• Passer rating: 79.1 (26)
• Pro Bowlers: 0

2016 team record: 3-13

• Passing yards per game: 248.1 (NFL rank: 14)
• Passing touchdowns: 19 (24)
• Interceptions: 19 (28)
• Passer rating: 81.8 (25)
• Pro Bowlers: 0

Tennessee Titans QB coach (2013)

2013 team record: 7-9

• Passing yards per game: 218.5 (NFL rank: 21)
• Passing touchdowns: 22 (20)
• Interceptions: 16 (17)
• Passer rating: 83.6 (20)
• Pro Bowlers: 0

Tennessee Titans WR coach (2011-12)

2012 team record: 6-10

• Leading receiver: Nate Washington (746 yards, 4 touchdowns)
• Receiver touchdowns: 12

2011 team record: 9-7

• Leading receiver: Nate Washington (1,023 yards, 7 touchdowns)
• Receiver touchdowns: 16

Notable coaches worked under

Chicago Bears

• Matt Nagy – head coach
• John Fox – head coach
• Bill Lazor – offensive coordinator
• Mark Helfrich – offensive coordinator

Washington Football Team

• Jay Gruden – head coach
• Sean McVay – offensive coordinator

Tennessee Titans

• Mike Munchak – head coach
• Dowell Loggains – offensive coordinator
• Chris Palmer – offensive coordinator

Telling quote

"I respect Rags as a person and as a player when he played. "He's a very bright coach. He played the position. I keep going back to that. When you coach this position and you have played it, you immediately garner a respect from the players so they automatically have that." – Matt Nagy on Ragone’s connection to quarterbacks.