The Atlanta Falcons are bringing on board three additional assistants to join their new head coach, Raheem Morris, in 2024. These new additions were previously affiliated with the Los Angeles Rams. Among them is K.J. Black, the quarterbacks assistant, who participated in the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship and has been part of the Rams since 2022. The other two are Nick Jones and Tim Berbenich.
Jones, who served as another offensive assistant, joined the Falcons in 2021. Before that, he had a college coaching career dating back to 2010 at Georgia. Berbenich, on the other hand, was involved in “situational management stuff,” as per The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue. This coaching shakeup is significant for the Rams, despite Sean McVay stating post-season that there were no plans for coaching changes beyond promotions. However, the recent hires followed Morris’ appointment in Atlanta.
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The Rams have seen notable departures, including Morris as their defensive coordinator, assistant head coach Jimmy Lake now serving as the Falcons defensive coordinator, and quarterbacks/passing game coordinator Zac Robinson joining Morris as Atlanta’s offensive coordinator. Black, Jones, and Berbenich have also transitioned to the Falcons. Additionally, Jeremy Springer, who was the assistant special teams coordinator, is now the special teams coordinator for the Patriots, and Eric Henderson, the defensive line and run game coordinator, is now the co-defensive coordinator at USC.
Despite these changes, the Rams have promoted Chris Shula to defensive coordinator and brought in Giff Smith as the defensive line coach and defensive run game coordinator. Nonetheless, there is still much work ahead for the Rams in terms of coaching adjustments. The promotions, however, are making McVay’s staff an attractive destination for up-and-coming assistant coaches.
