New Atlanta Falcons Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has only been a DC in one other place, in New York with the Jets, but how he turned one of the NFL's worst defenses into one of its best on just one offseason shouldn't be ignored. With that in mind, can he do the same in Atlanta with the Falcons?
A closer look at what took place in New York in regards to the Jets turnaround may also provide a blueprint for a Falcons turnaround, although probably not as quickly. In 2021 the Jets had the worst defense in the NFL in terms of yardage and scoring, but the very next season they were top 5 in both.
The biggest difference was who the Jets selected in the First Round of the 2022 NFL Draft, elite CB Sauce Gardner and LB Jermaine Johnson, and they already had Quinnen Williams on the roster. The major takeaway is that if the Falcons want to take a significant jump in the defensive rankings they need to acquire significant players on that side of the ball, something they've seemed hesitant to do in general under Terry Fontenot.
