Arthur Smith fired: 5 replacements Falcons should hire in a hurry
Arthur Smith was officially fired by the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night, according NFL insider Ian Rapoport. The 41-year-old, who served as Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator prior to his arrival in Atlanta, spent three years with the organization.
The Falcons' season ended on the most dissatisfying note possible. The New Orleans Saints scored 31 unanswered points in the second half of Sunday's game to win 48-17, officially eliminating Atlanta from postseason contention. The Falcons ended the season 7-10, oscillating between two ill-equipped QBs and struggling to produce offensively despite a wealth of high-level draft picks dedicated to that side of the ball.
Smith's career record sits at 21-30. He went 7-10 in every season as Falcons head coach. You can't knock his consistency. Despite his bright offensive reputation in Tennessee, Smith's tenure in Atlanta was defined by conservative play-calling and indefensible personnel choices. His reluctance to lean on stars such as Bijan Robinson, while placing far too much trust in an inadequate QB room, was his downfall.
The Falcons aren't the most desirable coaching destination, but there's plenty of talent on the roster and Atlanta isn't a small market. If Arthur Blank is aggressive enough, he should be able to lure a strong candidate to the southeastern hub. Here are a handful of names to watch out for.
5. Falcons can promote DC Ryan Nielsen to head coach
The Falcons pried Ryan Nielsen away from the Saints last offseason and the impact was immediate. Atlanta's defense ranked 11th in yards allowed per game. After years of struggling to generate stops, Atlanta's defense was more than solid. It was the foundation of what little success the Falcons mustered. The biggest concern about firing Smith is the potential exit of Nielsen.
Atlanta can eliminate that concern by promoting the 44-year-old, who served as co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach in New Orleans before his arrival in Atlanta. Nielson spent six seasons with the Saints, serving exclusively as defensive line coach prior to 2021. Before that, he experienced tremendous success in the collegiate ranks, primarily at N.C. State.
Nielsen would allow the Falcons to maintain schematic familiarity on defense. Now that the unit actually has some cohesiveness and success under its belt, maybe the front office should avoid fixing what isn't broken. If the Falcons let Nielsen walk, it's only a matter of time until he is a regular in coaching interviews and a dangerous weapon for the opposition.
Generally, teams in Atlanta's position want to start fresh. It's rare for coordinators to stick around once the coach is fired. There's no guarantee the next Falcons head coach wants to keep Nielsen on board, or vice versa. If the Falcons are truly enamored with Nielsen, this is the surest way to keep him around.