{"id":758539,"date":"2026-02-17T15:34:23","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T15:34:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/758539\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T15:34:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T15:34:23","slug":"offseason-outlook-atlanta-falcons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/758539\/","title":{"rendered":"Offseason Outlook: Atlanta Falcons"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Falcons entered last season aiming to break a seven-year playoff drought. At the very least, finishing above .500 for the first time since 2017 would have represented a modicum of progress. It turns out that’s all it would have taken to win an underwhelming NFC South in 2025. The Falcons still couldn’t do it. While their subpar 8-9 record matched the top mark in the division, tiebreakers doomed the Falcons to a third-place finish behind the Panthers and Buccaneers.<\/p>\n

The Falcons rattled off four straight victories to end the season, but it was a hollow winning streak for a team that was eliminated from playoff contention in Week 14. Fed up with another season of unsatisfactory results, owner Arthur Blank hit the reset button on his front office and coaching staff.<\/p>\n

In an effort to lead Atlanta back to relevance, Blank lured 14-year Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan from his CBS gig with a newly created position: president of football. Ryan has since steered the Falcons to a new GM and head coach, but not everything has gone according to plan. With foundational edge rusher James Pearce Jr.<\/a> facing five felony charges,<\/a> Ryan has already encountered unexpected adversity in his first several weeks atop the Falcons’ front office.<\/p>\n

Coaching\/front office:<\/p>\n

Fired<\/a> general manager Terry Fontenot, head coach Raheem Morris
\nHired<\/a> Matt Ryan as president of football
\nHired<\/a> Ian Cunningham as general manager
\nHired<\/a> Kevin Stefanski as head coach
\nHired<\/a> Tommy Rees as offensive coordinator, replacing<\/a> Zac Robinson
\nRetained<\/a> defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich
\nHired<\/a> Craig Aukerman as ST coordinator, replacing Marquice Williams
\nHired<\/a> Alex Van Pelt as QBs coach, replacing D.J. Williams
\nHired<\/a> Bill Callahan as O-line coach, replacing<\/a> Dwayne Ledford
\nHired<\/a> Tanner Engstrand as pass-game coordinator
\nHired<\/a> Robert Prince as wide receivers coach, replacing<\/a> T.J. Yates
\nDefensive pass-game coordinator Mike Rutenberg became Browns’ DC<\/a><\/p>\n


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