Jeff Ulbrich - Pro Football Rumors

Jets’ Jeff Ulbrich Confirms 49ers’ DC Inquiry

September 11th, 2024 at 3:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

In making Steve Wilks a one-and-done as 49ers defensive coordinator, Kyle Shanahan conducted a search that ended with a Nick Sorensen promotion. The eighth-year San Francisco HC’s unofficial search proved more interesting.

Shanahan reached out to Bill Belichick and attempted to gauge Steve Spagnuolo‘s interest in switching sides in this period’s premier AFC-NFC rivalry. Neither effort proved successful. Belichick is holding out hope for a 2025 HC job, as he conducts a media blitz this season, and the Chiefs extended Spagnuolo days after Super Bowl LVIII. The 49ers also reached out to one of Shanahan’s former Falcons coworkers, showing interest in Jets DC Jeff Ulbrich.

[Offseason In Review: San Francisco 49ers]

A 49ers linebacker from 2000-09, Ulbrich is from the Bay Area and worked with Shanahan from 2015-16 in Atlanta. However, Ulbrich needed permission to conduct an interview with the 49ers. Robert Saleh confirmed (via the San Francisco Chronicle’s Michael Silver) that would not happen.

“I don’t blame him,” Saleh said of Shanahan’s Ulbrich pursuit. “He should ask. The answer was no. But I’d ask, too.”

Ulbrich stayed in Atlanta throughout Dan Quinn‘s tenure, as Shanahan left after the Falcons’ 2016 Super Bowl season. He serves as the Jets’ defensive play-caller, though Saleh certainly operates as the lead defensive voice for the team. The Jets turned a corner on defense in Saleh’s second season, but as QB play played the lead role in dropping the 2022 and ’23 Jet teams under .500, no HC interviews have come. The Jets could not have denied Ulbrich permission to meet about a head coaching job, but since he was under contract for 2024, they could block the request.

“Absolutely honored,” Ulbrich said (via Silver) of Shanahan’s interest. “I have unbelievable, tremendous respect for Kyle, and that organization, and the team they’ve built, and the coaching staff that they have. So, what an honor it was. But at the same time, I am so connected [to the Jets].”

The Jets were not the only team to block a coordinator interview this offseason. The Panthers kept Ejiro Evero from meeting about other DC positions, while the Giants blocked a Seahawks Mike Kafka OC summit. Although Saleh would not let Ulbrich out of his contract, Silver adds the fourth-year Jets DC received an offseason raise.

Shanahan considered promoting Sorensen to replace DeMeco Ryans in 2023, but like Ryans back in his early days on San Francisco’s staff, the veteran HC viewed Sorensen as needing more developmental time. After two seasons with the team, Shanahan deemed Sorensen ready. The 49ers ranked third in scoring defense and fourth in DVOA, but Wilks’ unit struggled in the NFC playoffs. Despite holding the Chiefs without a touchdown — excluding a drive that began at the 49ers’ 16-yard line — that defense could not prevent a game-tying field goal to force overtime and could not hold serve with Kansas City defense in the extra period.

Sorensen, who spent eight seasons on Pete Carroll‘s Seahawks staff, will take a crack at maximizing the talent on the 49ers’ defense. The Jets will hope their offense does enough to complement their Saleh-Ulbrich defensive setup this season.

Latest On 49ers Coaching Staff

March 5th, 2024 at 9:16pm CST by Ben Levine

The 49ers found their replacement for Steve Wilks this past weekend when they promoted defensive passing game specialist Nick Sorensen to defensive coordinator. While Sorensen has had a rapid rise through the organization in recent years, his ascent to DC could have happened even sooner.

According to Albert Breer of SI.com, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was so impressed by Sorensen’s first season in San Francisco that he considered promoting the coach to DC last offseason. Shanahan ultimately believed that Sorensen needed a bit more time to develop, leading the 49ers to hire Wilks as their replacement for DeMeco Ryans.

The 49ers have also brought in Brandon Staley for some experience on their defensive coaching staff. Breer passes along that the former Chargers head coach will serve as the 49ers new assistant head coach, confirming earlier reports.

One name that wasn’t a reported candidate for the job was Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. However, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports that “there was mutual interest in exploring a marriage,” with Ulbrich presumably being recruited to be the team’s new DC. Ultimately, the Jets made it clear that they weren’t going to let their coordinator take a lateral job elsewhere, and the 49ers never requested a formal request for an interview.

Ulbrich would have been a natural candidate for the job considering his connects to San Francisco. He grew up in the Bay Area and played 10 seasons for the 49ers organization. Further, as Rosenblatt notes, Ulbrich aspires to be a head coach one day, and two of San Francisco’s last three DCs ultimately earned head coaching jobs.

With Sorensen now in place as defensive coordinator, he’s starting to add to his staff. The team did add one notable name this week, with K.J. Wright announcing that he’s joining the 49ers as an assistant linebackers coach (via Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times). Wright, of course, spent a decade with the 49ers’ division rivals in Seattle, with the linebacker ranking third in Seahawks history in tackles.

Wright and Sorensen previously worked alongside each other with the Seahawks, as the coach spent close to a decade on Pete Carroll‘s staff. According to Michael-Shawn Dugar and David Lombardi of The Athletic, Wright also interviewed for a position on Mike Macdonald’s new Seahawks staff, but the organization ultimately decided to go in a different direction.

Jets DC Jeff Ulbrich To Call Defensive Plays

January 23rd, 2021 at 8:35am CST by Ben Levine

While Robert Saleh earned some rightful praise for his defensive schemes in San Francisco, he won’t be calling defensive plays as head coach of the New York Jets. Myles Simmons of ProFootballTalk.com writes that defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will be handling defensive play-calling duties in 2021.

Saleh explained his logic during his introductory press conference (via Simmons):

“I’ve got the utmost respect and confidence in Jeff Ulbrich to be able to do that,” Saleh said. “This is an organization that has to work locked in arms and work together. And to ensure that the messaging and the way that we want things done all the way across the board is there and maintaining that connection throughout — whether it’s offense, defense, special teams, business of football — somehow, some way, everyone’s got to find their connection to the player with the mindset that we’re going to get these guys better every single day. And to be able to have that focus and ensure that the entire organization is moving in the direction that we want, I won’t be calling plays.”

Saleh could have certainly given himself those duties considering the success of the 49ers defense in recent years. After finishing with the NFL’s second-best DVOA in 2019, the coach played a big role in keeping the 49ers’ injury-ravaged defense afloat in 2020. San Francisco still finished the season fifth in total yards, seventh in rushing yards, and fourth in passing yards allowed.

While Saleh is clearly a defensive maestro, he’ll be putting his trust in Ulbrich to call defensive plays. Ulbrich started 2020 as the Falcons’ assistant head coach and linebackers coach. He was promoted to defensive coordinator following Dan Quinn‘s firing, and the Falcons showed improvement during the later stages of the season.

Jets Hire Jeff Ulbrich As DC

January 21st, 2021 at 2:02pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets have hired Jeff Ulbrich as their new defensive coordinator, per a club announcement. In addition, head coach Robert Saleh has appointed five new assistants to his staff.

Ulbrich started 2020 as the Falcons’ assistant head coach and linebackers coach. Then, when Dan Quinn was fired, he was promoted to defensive coordinator under interim HC Raheem Morris. The Falcons improved in the later months of the year, positioning Ulbrich for a step up.

Ulbrich was a third-round pick of the Niners back in 2000. He went on to enjoy a long career in SF, tallying 488 tackles through 2009. He’s been working as a coach ever since, including stops with the Seahawks and the UCLA Bruins. He’ll have his work cut out for him in New York, though the roster is something of a blank canvas. Armed with one of the top picks in this year’s draft, the Jets are prepared for a total reboot.

In addition to Ulbrich, the Jets have also appointed Aaron Whitecotton, Nate Ollie, Chip Vaughn, Ricky Manning Jr., and Hayes Pullard to jobs on Saleh’s staff.

Falcons Fire ST Coordinator Ben Kotwica

October 12th, 2020 at 4:28pm CST by Ben Levine

It’s been a busy day for the Falcons, and the changes keep coming. NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that Atlanta has fired special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica. Running backs coach Bernie Parmalee will take over the position.

ESPN Vaughn McClure notes that Kotwica had been on the hot seat since the team’s Week 2 loss to Dallas. Late in that game, the Falcons’ special teams unit fell victim to the “watermelon” onside kick late. The Cowboys recovered the ball and proceeded to win on a game-winning field goal.

Kotwica, 45, joined the Falcons in 2019. He had spent the previous five seasons as the Redskins special teams coordinator, and he also held that role with the Jets in 2013. Parmalee, who spent nine years in the league as a player, has served as the Falcons running backs coach since 2018. McClure tweets that game management coordinator Will Harriger will be the new running backs coach.

Earlier today, we learned that the Falcons had replaced Dan Quinn with defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. McClure tweets that Jeff Ulbrich will now take over as defensive coordinator. The former third-round pick had served as the Falcons linebackers coach since 2015, and he had earned a promotion to assistant head coach earlier this year.

South Notes: Gipson, Quinn, Thomas, Ryan

November 11th, 2019 at 8:01pm CST by Marc Delucchi

Texans safety Tashaun Gipson is expected to return to the lineup this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Gipson has missed the team’s previous two games after sustaining a back injury in Week 7. Houston has won both games without their starting safety, but set to go up against the Ravens and their dynamic offense, the team hopes to be as close to full strength as possible.

Here’s some more notes from the NFC and AFC South:

Falcons head coach Dan Quinn has relinquished defensive play-calling duties, according to Darin Gantt of NBC Sports. It appears that assistant head coach Raheem Morris and linebackers coach Jeff Ulbrich are now responsible for sharing the duties. Given Atlanta’s atrocious start to the season defensively, it makes sense that the staff decided to make a change. While the team remains just 2-7 on the season, they are coming off their strongest performance of the season in a dominating 26-9 victory against the Saints.
Two AFC South rivals could be welcoming back some depth in the coming weeks. Texans tight end Jordan Thomas and Jaguars linebacker Jake Ryan have both returned to practice for their respective teams, according to Howard Balzer. Both players were placed on the injured reserve with a designation to return earlier this season. They will now be allowed to practice for up to 21 days before they must be added to the 53-man roster or must return to the injured reserve for the remainder of the year.

Falcons Fire DC Richard Smith

February 8th, 2017 at 8:00am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Falcons have fired defensive coordinator Richard Smith and defensive line coach Bryan Cox, according to Alex Marvez of SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link). Smith could eventually be re-assigned within the organization, sources tell Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.

Atlanta may look to fill the DC vacancy with an internal hire, per McClure, who identifies secondary coach Marquand Manuel as a “strong” contender for the job. Manuel, 37, doesn’t boast any play-calling experience, but did interview for the Jaguars’ coordinator gig last offseason. Other internal candidates to become the Falcons’ next coordinator could include pass game coordinator Jerome Henderson, linebackers coach Jeff Ulbrich, and receivers coach Raheem Morris, adds McClure. Henderson is on the 49ers’ radar, as well, as new head coach Kyle Shanahan reportedly wants to hire co-defensive coordinators.

Smith, meanwhile, has coached NFL defenses since the late-1980s, and has coordinated units in Miami and Houston in addition to Atlanta. Since joining the Falcons in 2015, Smith never led a defense that finished among the top half of the league in DVOA, with the team’s best finish coming in 2015 (22nd). This past season, Atlanta ranked just 27th in defensive DVOA, although the club improved as the season progressed. As McClure hinted at, Smith may stay with the Falcons, but is currently exploring his options, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

Cox is also on the outs after Atlanta’s defensive line ranked in the middle of the pack in terms of sacks, but finished just 24th and 25th in adjusted sack rate and adjusted line yards, respectively. Although he deserves credit for helping second-year end Vic Beasley flourish (and lead the NFL with 15.5 sacks), Cox’s unit was subpar overall. Cox, who’s coached in the NFL since 2006 following a long playing a career, is now a coaching free agent.

Given that Shanahan has left Atlanta, the Falcons will begin the 2017 campaign with new coordinators on each side of the ball. Steve Sarkasian has already been hired to replace Shanahan on offense, but the club also lost a respected offensive mind in quarterbacks coach Matt LaFleur, who was hired as the Rams’ new OC.

NFC South Notes: Benson, S-Jax, Falcons

February 10th, 2015 at 6:09pm CST by Zachary Links

A court in San Antonio ruled yesterday that Saints owner Tom Benson needs help in managing his assets in Texas, as Katherine Sayre of The Times-Picayune writes. Meanwhile, Benson’s daughter Renee is seeking to overthrow Tom as trustee in the Texas trust, arguing he has mismanaged assets and is in declining health.

Benson, who owns the NBA’s Pelicans in addition to the Saints, suffered another loss in court today, when a New Orleans judge ruled that the 87-year-old must undergo evaluations by three different doctors to determine whether he remains competent to control his NFL and NBA franchises. As Andy Grimm of the Times-Picayune details, one doctor will be appointed by Benson, one by his daughter Renee, and the third will be named by those first two physicians.

Here’s more on the Benson story, along with a couple other notes out of the NFC South:

Saints owner Tom Benson issued a statement regarding his current situation and it sounds like he has no intention of backing down. “I have instructed my attorneys to spare no effort in defending my rights and the decisions I have made. The decisions I have made are well within my rights to make at any point in my life, and rest assured that I am making sound decisions. I need not look any further than to read the allegations made against me in these multiple lawsuits to rest easy that I have made the correct decisions,” Benson said in the statement (via Saints VP of communications Greg Bensel on Twitter).
Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter) doesn’t expect Steven Jackson to be back with the Falcons next season. McClure notes that Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan declined to address Jackson’s future with the team, though that would ultimately be more in the court of head coach Dan Quinn. Jackson, 32 in July, appeared in 15 games for the Falcons last season, running for 707 yards off of 190 carries with 6 TDs. Cutting Jackson would save Atlanta $3.75MM against the cap.
The Falcons officially announced the rest of their coaching staff for the upcoming season. Atlanta hired Keith Carter as assistant offensive line coach, Matt LaFleur as quarterbacks coach, Doug Mallory as defensive assistant/linebackers coach, Marquand Manuel as secondary coach/senior defensive assistant, Mike McDaniel as offensive assistant, Chris Morgan as offensive line coach, Jeff Ulbrich as linebackers coach, and Chad Walker as defensive assistant/defensive backs.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Falcons Notes: Weatherspoon, Coaching Staff

February 4th, 2015 at 1:06pm CST by Luke Adams

As the Browns face potential sanctions from the NFL regarding a violation of the league’s electronic use policy, the Falcons are under investigation for pumping in artificial crowd noise at their home games, as we heard over the weekend. Owner Arthur Blank essentially acknowledged the team’s guilt during his meeting with the media yesterday, as ESPN.com details.

“I think what we’ve done in 2013 and 2014 was wrong,” Blank said. “Anything that affects the competitive balance and fairness on the field, we’re opposed to, as a league, as a club and as an owner. It’s obviously embarrassing but beyond embarrassing it doesn’t represent our culture and what we’re about.”

Like the Browns, the Falcons face penalties that may include fines or the loss of a draft pick, and Blank confirmed that he expects to hear from the league regarding the matter within the next couple weeks.

Here are a few more Falcons-related items for Wednesday:

Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, who missed the 2014 season with a ruptured Achilles, will be “an important part of building this defense and building this team,” Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff said yesterday, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. That’s a strong endorsement for a player who doesn’t yet have a contract for the 2015 season, and suggests Atlanta is serious about bringing Weatherspoon back.
The Falcons received permission from the Seahawks to speak to Marquand Manuel, and will interview him Friday for their defensive backs coach job, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. McClure hears from a source that Seattle tried hard to keep Manuel, but it appears he’ll be joining former Seattle DC Dan Quinn in Atlanta — Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (TwitLonger link) says Manuel will be a senior defensive consultant for the Falcons, in addition to overseeing the secondary.
A pair of former Washington coaches are also set to join Quinn’s staff. Pete Sampson of Irish Illustrated tweets that current Notre Dame QBs coach Matt LaFleur is expected to leave the Fighting Irish for the Falcons, while John Keim of ESPN.com says (via Twitter) that Atlanta will also likely hire Mike McDaniel in some capacity. LaFleur previously served as Washington’s QBs coach, while McDaniel was the club’s WRs coach.
Alex Marvez of Fox Sports has even more details on new hirings for the Falcons, writing that the team has hired former Syracuse director of football operations Steve Scarnecchia (assistant to the head coach) and former UCLA defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich (LBs coach).