Falcons Announce Several Staff Additions, Including Some Critical Retentions

FLOWERY BRANCH – The Atlanta Falcons are in the midst of turnover after installing Kevin Stefanski as their new head coach, but Monday brought more additions. According to an announcement from the team, the Falcons have added a trio of coaches to their 2026 staff and announced the retention of several more. 

First, with the retentions. 

According to an announcement from the team, the Falcons are holding onto defensive line coach Nate Ollie, secondary coach Justin Hood, and tight ends coach Kevin Koger. 

Ollie had a standout first season as the Falcons’ defensive line coach. Under his leadership, the defense’s pass rush surged, finishing with 57 sacks. The year before, his Houston Texans pass rush had 49 sacks (4th in the NFL). In 2023, his Indianapolis Colts pass rush finished with 51 sacks (5th in the NFL).

Hood joined the Falcons alongside Raheem Morris in 2024. His secondary has been a steady contributor to the defense under his leadership. Veterans like A.J. Terrell Jr., Jessie Bates III, and Mike Hughes have enjoyed some of their best seasons, while rookies Xavier Watts and Billy Bowman Jr. have successful starts to their careers.

Koger, who also joined the Falcons under Morris in 2024, guided Kyle Pitts Sr. to the first All-Pro season of his career in 2025. The fifth-year tight end led the team in receiving.

Of the additions, the major one to note is Craig Aukerman as the new special teams coordinator. He comes to Atlanta after 27 years in coaching, with 17 of those coming in the NFL ranks. His most recent stop came with the Dolphins in 2025, his first and only season in Miami. 

Aukerman’s unit finished with the NFL’s seventh-best EPA, with the Falcons finishing 29th league-wide by that same metric. The Dolphins had a strong kicking game (93.1% conversion rate, 4th in the NFL), blocked two field goals, and finished around the middle of the league in terms of return yardage. 

Before joining the Dolphins, Aukerman spent a single season with the Los Angeles Rams as an assistant special teams coach, six seasons as the special teams coordinator with the Tennessee Titans (2018-23), and one season as an assistant special teams coach with the Titans (2017). He helped Tennessee reach four postseasons in seven seasons, winning two AFC South division titles, advancing to the AFC Championship in 2019, and securing the No. 1 seed in the AFC in 2021.

In addition to Aukerman, the Falcons announced the additions of Bob Quinn as the senior advisor to the head coach and Robert Prince as the wide receivers coach. 

Prince, who interviewed for the New York Giants’ offensive coordinator role this weekend, also joins the Falcons from the Dolphins. The veteran coach has made stops with the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, Detroit Lions, and Seattle Seahawks. He also made a short stop as an assistant coach with Atlanta from 2004 to 2006. 

Quinn joins the Falcons alongside Stefanski, with whom he worked as a senior personnel and coaching executive for the Cleveland Browns (2021-25). He cut his teeth in the scouting ranks and served as the Lions' general manager for five years (2016-20). 

The 2026 staff continues to come together. See here for a running list of additions.