Falcons Expect Defensive Jump in Year Two Under Jeff Ulbrich

FLOWERY BRANCH – The first year under Jeff Ulbrich brought a record-setting season for the Atlanta Falcons, and they expect year two to bring further growth.

For the first time since 2022, the Falcons will have a defensive coordinator returning to the team. And in an offseason of overhaul and change in Atlanta, that continuity would be easy to overlook, but it was not lost on safety Jessie Bates III.

The defender has had a new defensive coordinator and a new scheme to learn every year that he has been in Atlanta. With Ulbrich returning as the man in charge, Bates sees an elevated ceiling for his unit next season.

“To be able to be in year two in this scheme, I think we can go to a whole other level and continue to build on what we were doing last year with the sack record,” Bates said. “Hopefully, this year we can get the interception record.”

Year one was a major step forward for the Falcons. They set a franchise record with 57 sacks, but they made strides across the board, finishing No. 15 in total defense (326.6 yards per game), No. 18 in expected points added per play (-0.04), and No. 19 in scoring (23.6 points per game).

For a unit that featured so many promising young players, retention and continuity could prove to be pivotal. Instead of learning a new scheme for a fifth straight offseason and hitting a reset button, they can build on the ‘heart, mind, fist’ mentality from year one.

“After just being able to work with him for one year, I can only imagine what I'm going to learn in year two with him,” Bates said. “I love Brich, what he's about every single day. He lives heart, mind, fist. That's what he does with his family, with, you know, his football family, and all the above. That's just who he is.”

But there is still another level, like Bates noted.

The additions the Falcons have been making to the roster may pay some dividends. Nine draft picks over the last two years have been devoted to the defense, plus 10 more free agent additions over the last several weeks.

One particular player who will be needed to progress is last year’s first-round pick, Jalon Walker. After lining up on the edge as a rookie, he could take on an elevated role as a second-year player in the Ulbrich system.

“I'll say this, the vision for him is so much clearer in year two,” Ulbrich said back in March during the UGA pro day. “He's going to make huge strides this year in every way, from a pass rush perspective and a pure end perspective. But then also we're going to start to also utilize his versatility off the ball and all the stuff he can do.”

As a player in Athens, Walker flashed elite versatility. His snap counts were split between on- and off-ball alignments, and he could see a similar progression in year two with Atlanta.

2026 will be a year of progression, and the Falcons are counting on it. With Ulbrich returning and a young core entering its second year together, expectations inside the building have shifted from learning to execution.

Instead of spending the spring installing a new defense, their focus has turned toward refinement. The terminology is familiar, the expectations are defined, and the foundation has been laid.

With a deeper roster, expanded roles for younger players, and a coordinator returning for the first time in several seasons, the Falcons enter the offseason believing their defensive leap may still be ahead of them rather than behind them.

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