Titans Hire Falcons Coach Charles London; 4 Atlanta Replacements to Lead QBs

Who could the Atlanta Falcons name as quarterbacks coach following Charles London's departure to the Tennessee Titans?

The Atlanta Falcons coaching staff took a noticeable hit Tuesday when quarterbacks coach Charles London accepted a job with the Tennessee Titans to become passing game coordinator in addition to working with the signal callers.

Falcons coach Arthur Smith has previously stressed the value of having continuity around a young quarterback, such as third-round pick Desmond Ridder who just finished his rookie campaign.

And while that evidently won't be the case entering the new league year, Atlanta still has a wealth of candidates who can be beneficial for Ridder or any other player the Falcons roll out under center next season.

Here are four potential candidates who make sense for the Falcons ...

Todd Downing

Smith has proven time and again that he values familiarity in his personnel decisions, be it players or coaches, and Downing certainly checks that box, as he followed in Smith's footsteps with the Titans, serving as tight ends coach in 2019 and 2020 and offensive coordinator the last two years.

Downing was released by Tennessee following the end of the season and was arrested during the campaign for driving under the influence after a victory on Thursday Night Football, so there are definitely external factors at play, but he has a good track record of working with quarterbacks.

In 2015, Downing was named quarterbacks coach of the year by Pro Football Focus after aiding Derek Carr's breakout second season with the now-Las Vegas Raiders. The 42-year-old Downing, a quarterback in his playing days, has also spent time in the role with the Detrpot Lions and Buffalo Bills.

Considering what Downing did for Carr entering his second year, there's certainly intrigue with the Falcons set to have Desmond Ridder entering his second season under center ... but if Atlanta doesn't see the latter as a long-term solution, perhaps the picture shifts - although the former's track record with quarterbacks remains promising.

T.J. Yates

The first of two in-house candidates to make the list, Yates spent the 2022 season as Atlanta's receivers coach. However, the 35-year-old knows a thing or two about quarterbacks, having spent seven NFL seasons under center, albeit primarily as a backup.

Nonetheless, Yates played in the NFL as recently as 2017, knows what it takes to lead the offense at a high level and, perhaps most importantly, is already familiar with Ridder, which is particularly key considering Smith wants a stable environment for Ridder to grow in.

The issue, of course, is that moving Yates to quarterbacks coach opens up a void with the receivers ... but considering the significance of the quarterback position and its particular relevance to the franchise moving forward, that fear shouldn't dissuade the Falcons from transitioning Yates if they deem him to be the best fit.

Michael Pitre

When the Falcons hired London to be the quarterbacks coach, it was met with surprise, as he was previously the running backs coach for the Chicago Bears.

It's a similar story for Pitre, who just finished his first year as Atlanta's running backs coach and has spent much of his career in the same role elsewhere - but received experience coaching quarterbacks at the East-West Shrine Bowl while assistant Danny Breyer worked with the ballcarriers.

Could the Falcons have known in advance that London was interest in leaving and wanted to let Pitre get his feet wet? It's certainly possible - and could vault Pitre to the top of the list of potential candidates.

Joe Lombardi

After his two-year run as the offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Chargers came to an early end following a blown 27-0 lead in the playoffs, Lombardi's left looking for work - and could follow a similar path to newly hired Falcons defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen.

Like Nielsen, Lombardi worked with the New Orleans Saints while now-Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot was in the front office. Better yet, Lombardi was the quarterbacks coach ... and did so well in the role that he was given the chance to be an offensive coordinator.

Lombardi falls into a similar category as Downing - fired offensive coordinator but successful working with quarterbacks and past experience with members of the staff. As such, he's certainly on the radar in Atlanta.

Ultimately, it remains to be seen which way the Falcons are leaning ... but there's certainly no shortage of options.

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You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft

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