The Athletic Reveals Burning Question Facing Atlanta Falcons DC Jeff Ulbrich

Much of the focus on the Atlanta Falcons this offseason has been on Michael Penix Jr. stepping into the starting role for an offense that finished No. 6 in total offense last season.

However, the Falcons will need to bank on their defense if they are going to propel into a playoff spot in 2025. 

That’s not to say the defense will need to carry the team, but they need to remain solid without surrendering bushels of points to opponents. The Falcons averaged 31 points in their last two games of the season with Penix at quarterback, and lost both.

Now, with Jeff Ulbrich at the helm and a load of new talent, Atlanta can go about the business of playing quality defense.

The 2024 numbers are not stellar, not in the slightest. 31 sacks and 12 interceptions do not scare anyone, and teams felt extremely comfortable with dropping back in the pocket and picking apart the defense. After playing a soft, prevent defense with the single-minded goal of not giving up explosive plays, the defense looked like it quit by season’s end. 

You could see the frustrated body language on the sidelines. The players didn't forget how to play. The coordinator did not scheme to their strengths. Now, a new day has dawned. 

The Athletic's Mike Jones considers the Falcons’ inability to create big plays on defense to be the key question for Ulbrich heading into the season. 

"Last season’s Falcons defense struggled mightily to deliver game-changing plays,” wrote Jones on The Athletic. “The unit ranked 31st with only 31 sacks (league leader Denver had 63) and 17th with 12 interceptions (Minnesota led the NFL with 24). It’s no coincidence the Falcons’ opponents had a 45.3 percent third-down conversion rate, the second highest in the NFL. So, head coach Raheem Morris hired Ulbrich, Atlanta’s linebackers coach from 2015 to 2020 and interim defensive coordinator in 2020, to help cure these crucial deficiencies".

Now, no one is saying that the team will break out and double those marks, but 10 more sacks and five more interceptions put them at 13th and 3rd in sacks and interceptions, respectively.

The team could not make the key stops. If the offense needed four yards, the defense gave up five. Some of the issues centered around the lack of a pass rush. No quarterback should routinely stare down a defense, unfazed by blitz packages, and the Falcons didn’t have the personnel up front to get home with just four rushing the quarterback.

That’s changed. Atlanta has invested heavily on defense this offseason with the addition of Leonard Floyd, Jalon Walker, and James Pearce Jr. at edge rusher. They’ve added speed on the second level with linebacker Devine Deablo, and they expect rookie defensive backs Xavier Watts and Billy Bowman Jr. to compete for starters’ minutes.

This is one of the most balanced teams that the Falcons have fielded in years, and Ulbrich possesses all of the credentials to make it work on defense. The good news is that the bar was set so low in 2024, that the Falcons' defense can’t help but improve in 2025. 

They’re hoping for more than just improving. The Falcons have invested in a defensive overhaul. How good that defense is in 2025 is the X-factor in their playoff equation.