Steve Wilks? Wink Martindale? Who might fit best as the Falcons’ defensive coordinator?​on January 17, 2025 at 4:27 am

ATLANTA — Raheem Morris was visibly upset when he walked into the news conference room inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Jan. 5.

The Atlanta Falcons head coach is the uplifting type. He builds his players up and allows them to be themselves. Morris wasn’t in any mood for that after a 44-38 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers to end the 2024 season. The former Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator said he was “shocked” by how poorly his team’s defense played, implying that they simply didn’t show up.

With a win and a loss by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Falcons could have made the playoffs. Instead, Atlanta lost to a Carolina team that struggled most of the season. The Bucs won, clinching the NFC South title. The Falcons finished 8-9. They haven’t had a winning season nor a playoff berth since 2017.

A day after the defeat, Morris’ smile had not returned. When asked about potential offseason changes, specifically the fate of first-year defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake, Morris gave no vote of confidence.

“We’ve got to evaluate all of our coaches,” Morris said. “We’ve got to evaluate all of our players. We’ve got to evaluate everything that we do from a whole program standpoint, and we will do those things. That’s what starts today.”

Last Saturday, the Falcons announced they had fired Lake and defensive line coach Jay Rodgers. Lake came to Atlanta from the Los Angeles Rams with Morris last offseason, so the move surely wasn’t an easy decision for the head coach.

But over the final three weeks of the season, with the Falcons controlling their own destiny for the division title, the team gave up the ninth-most points per game in the league (27). Overall, Atlanta was 23rd in the NFL in scoring defense, allowing 24.9 points per game.

Atlanta struggled mightily against the pass, allowing the highest quarterback completion percentage in the league (69.9%) and the second-most touchdown passes (34). The Falcons finished last in sacks (31) and quarterback pressure percentage (28.1%) — and that was after the team’s pass rush improved following a Week 12 bye when Morris became more hands-on.

Part of the pass-rush struggles were due to the inability to get into passing downs, because of at-times porous run defense. The Falcons finished with the 10th-worst rush defense EPA (-9.9) in the league.

Atlanta announced Tuesday that it had interviewed University of Michigan defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale for Lake’s former role. Martindale has been the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants, Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos.

Lake had never been a defensive coordinator or a defensive playcaller prior to 2024. It’s likely that the Falcons bring in someone with more experience doing that job this offseason. Former Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo will also be interviewed, per an NFL Network report.

There are some other candidates who could also get a look.

Former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks was around the team during training camp and highly regarded by people in the building. Wilks also has head coaching experience with the Arizona Cardinals and Panthers. He will interview for the job next week, sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Former New York Jets defensive coordinator and interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich coached on the same staff with Morris in Atlanta in 2020 when Morris was the interim head coach following the firing of Dan Quinn. Morris tabbed Ulbrich as his defensive coordinator. The Falcons interviewed Ulbrich on Wednesday.

Dennis Allen, the former New Orleans Saints and Raiders head coach, was on the Saints coaching staff as defensive coordinator when current Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot was the assistant general manager in New Orleans. Allen is an Atlanta native and a former Falcons assistant coach. His father Grady played for the franchise.

Whoever gets the job will have the opportunity to put his stamp on the defense right away. Morris has his background as a former defensive coordinator, but “collaborative” is a big buzzword in Atlanta. Then, there’s the personnel.

Two of the Falcons’ starting cornerbacks, Mike Hughes and Dee Alford, are free agents. So are starting safety Justin Simmons and starting inside linebacker Nate Landman. Outside linebackers Matthew Judon, Lorenzo Carter and James Smith-Williams are also free agents.

Atlanta doesn’t figure to have a ton of cap space, but could restructure the deals of defensive linemen Grady Jarrett and David Onyemata.

Safety Jessie Bates III, cornerback A.J. Terrell and inside linebacker Kaden Elliss all played well in 2024. Look for the new defensive coordinator build around those three, and potentially Jarrett.

The Falcons draft at No. 15, and selecting a pass rusher or a cornerback seems like an inevitability. Atlanta had 2024 second-round draft pick Ruke Orhorhoro, a defensive lineman, and fifth-round pick JD Bertrand, an inside linebacker, show promise this season. The team will also get back 2024 third-round pick Bralen Trice, a much-needed pass rusher, after knee surgery.

“We have to develop [players] in the building, and then we’ll have to look outside and look at the areas that we do have to enhance,” Fontenot said. “Whether it’s free agency, whether it’s the draft, we have to find those ways to continue to build that team to be more consistent.”

And on the defensive side, that will start with a new coordinator.