Falcons Appoint Former Quarterback T.J. Yates as Wide Receivers Coach

The former NFL quarterback previously served as Atlanta’s passing game specialist.

The Falcons announced the hire of former quarterback T.J. Yates as the team’s wide receivers coach on Tuesday.

Yates, a Georgia native, enters a new role after spending one season as the Falcons’ passing game specialist. Atlanta fired former wide receivers coach Dave Brock in February, making way for Yates to take the position.

Before coaching opportunities brought Yates to Atlanta, he previously served as the backup quarterback to former Atlanta signal caller Matt Ryan during the 2014 season. After his seven-year NFL career, Yates jumped into the coaching ranks in 2019 with the Texans.

The 34-year-old spent two seasons with the Texans, serving as an offensive assistant in 2019 and the assistant quarterbacks coach in the 2020 campaign before joining the Falcons staff ahead of the 2021 season.

Yates playing career in the league began in Houston, when the Texans drafted him in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL draft out of North Carolina. In addition to the Texans and Falcons, Yates played for the Dolphins and the Bills. 

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