The Falcons are moving into a new era under coach Arthur Smith, who now has to fill his staff with assistant coaches who share his vision of the team.
As reported by D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Falcons will not retain offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter along with six assistant coaches. Greg Knapp, Chad Walker, Tosh Lupoi, Mayur Chaudhari, Chris Morgan and Aden Durden will not return in 2021.
Durden, the Atlanta defense coach in 2020, will join the Cowboys staff as Dan Quinn’s assistant, who has just taken over as defensive coordinator in Dallas.
These moves are not shocking, as any head coach would prefer to surround himself with assistants with similar ideas. Atlanta has already been linked to several coordinators and assistants on both sides of the ball.
Given how rare it is to retain assistant coaches, it’s worth noting that Smith himself survived through three head coaches while assisting in Tennessee.