ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons fired defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake and defensive line coach Jay Rodgers on Saturday in the wake of first-year head coach Raheem Morris offering sharp criticism of his defense’s disappointing finish.
The Falcons missed the playoffs for the seventh consecutive year, wrapping up an 8-9 record with a 44-38 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers last Sunday in the regular-season finale.
“After a thorough evaluation of the season, and with careful consideration for our team’s future, we deemed these moves necessary,” Morris said in a two-paragraph statement released by the team. “These decisions are never easy from the human side of things and we wish Jimmy, Jay and their families the best.”
The Falcons’ late-season benching of veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins and three-game audition of rookie Michael Penix Jr. as the new starter entering 2025 was the biggest news of Atlanta’s 2024 season, but Morris focused on the disappointing late showing by the defense after the loss to the Panthers.
Morris, who was the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive coordinator before being hired by the Falcons, said after the game he was “really shocked” and “really disappointed in our defense.”
The staff changes were not a surprise. On Monday, when asked about the status of Lake and if he anticipated making changes on the staff, Morris said: “I’ve been around the league for a while, and very rarely do things stay the same.”
The Falcons ranked 23rd in the NFL in total defense and with their average of 24.9 points allowed. The defense ranked last in sacks through nine games, but it had a late-season surge. Third-year pro Arnold Ebiketie had six sacks, fellow outside linebacker Matthew Judon had 5 1/2 sacks, and linebacker Kaden Elliss led the team with 150 tackles and added five sacks.
Atlanta safety Jessie Bates III also stood out with 102 tackles, four interceptions and four forced fumbles.
Despite the individual highlights and improved pass rush, the defense ranked next to last in third-down efficiency and allowed a combined 74 points in back-to-back losses to close the season. Atlanta posted its seventh consecutive losing record.
General manager Terry Fontenot said the defense, including the pass rush, will continue to be an offseason emphasis.
“We have to add on,” Fontenot said Thursday. “So we showed ability, we showed improvement in that area. But this definitely needs to be an area that we continue to improve.”
Speaking last Sunday, Morris said his disappointment was so strong because “I was really fired up where we were going, the direction we were going.” He added that the defense and the team took “a huge step back” in the loss.
“That’s something we’ve got to go back and look at and review and find out why, because those things can’t happen,” he said.
Lake was 7-6 as the University of Washington’s head coach in 2020-21 before serving as the Rams’ assistant head coach in 2023.
A potential candidate to lead the Atlanta defense is New York Jets interim head coach and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, who has said he will interview for the lead role moving forward. Ulbrich was an Atlanta assistant from 2015-20.
Ulbrich was 3-9 as interim coach after the Jets fired coach Robert Saleh, who also could be a candidate to lead Atlanta’s defense. Saleh has interviewed to be defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers.