Big Promotion for Ex Falcons Coach Jeff Ulbrich

After the firing of head coach Robert Saleh, the New York Jets appointed defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, formerly of the Atlanta Falcons, to replace Saleh.

Former Atlanta Falcons linebackers coach and interim defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich is now the New York Jets' interim head coach. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Another former Atlanta Falcons assistant is now an NFL head coach.

Jeff Ulbrich, who was the Falcons’ linebackers coach from 2015-20 and doubled as the team’s interim defensive coordinator in 2020, has been named the New York Jets’ interim head coach.

The Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh on Tuesday, according to ESPN. Saleh led New York to a 2-3 record this season and a 20-36 record over the past three-plus years before his departure.

Ulbrich, 47, has been New York’s defensive coordinator since 2021. Still, he has direct ties to Atlanta’s coaching staff, as he worked with first-year Falcons head coach Raheem Morris during the entirety of his stint with the Dirty Birds.

As a result, Ulbrich’s influence remains prevalent — Morris said during the NFL Draft he and Ulbrich did an offseason study together several years ago when they were on the Falcons' staff, and it has helped shape Morris's philosophies on defensive body types.

"Talked about the variables of length," Morris said. "For linebackers, it was shedding off of blocks and correlated so well to what we do. Talked about from the secondary and anywhere on defense, the people that had more length, they missed less tackles. And you start to look at it.

"You just put these charts together of length, size, time, didn't matter, the height and all those things. And length became this major factor that we really fell in love with and wanted to be able to increase some of those things in those studies."

Ulrbich is now the sixth NFL head coach who was on the Falcons' 2016 staff, joining Morris, Washington Commanders coach Dan Quinn, Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur.

The Falcons and Jets are not scheduled to play this season, meaning Morris and Ulbrich likely won't meet -- but Ulbrich gives Atlanta greater representation in one of the nation's biggest markets.