FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — When asked to describe Jeff Ulbrich, the Atlanta Falcons’ new defensive coordinator, the best descriptor safety Jessie Bates III could repeatedly summon was the former position his coach spent a decade playing.

“Linebacker personality.”

After starring at the University of Hawaii as a linebacker, Ulbrich entered the NFL as a third-round draft pick to the San Francisco 49ers in 2000 and remained with the organization through his final season in 2009. He appeared in 120 games, starting 75, and registered 501 tackles, 5.5 sacks, two interceptions and a safety.

Ulbrich began his coaching career immediately after his playing one ended, spending the 2010-11 seasons as the assistant special teams coach with the Seattle Seahawks. After three seasons at the collegiate level, where he first began coaching his old position, Ulbrich joined the Falcons for the first time as linebackers coach in 2015. During his next six years in Atlanta, Ulbrich also picked up the title of assistant head coach and interim defensive coordinator. From 2021-24, Ulbrich was the New York Jets’ defensive coordinator and spent 12 games as interim head coach in his final season.

“This is my first time, that I can recall off the top of my head, where my DC has been a linebacker at heart, a guy that played it and saw it from my shoes,” said Falcons inside linebacker Kaden Elliss. “I’m really excited about it.”

Elliss, who joined the NFL in 2019, is correct. None of his previous defensive coordinators were linebackers at any level. Jimmy Lake (Falcons, 2024), Kris Richard (New Orleans Saints, 2022) and Dennis Allen (Saints, 2019-21) were all defensive backs. Ryan Nielsen (Falcons, 2023; Saints, 2022) was a defensive lineman.

With that in mind, Elliss has noticed an early difference, one that he appreciates.

“When you’re game-planning a team, sometimes the onus has to get put on a position group,” he said. “I think, in my very biased eyes, that when defensive coordinators are D-line or DBs, they kind of gear things and put the tough jobs on the linebackers a little bit. I can already tell Brich is going to look out for us and make sure I don’t (cover) Justin Jefferson alone, you know what I mean? Those types of scenarios.”