FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — For the first time in Jessie Bates III's time as an Atlanta Falcon, he enters phase 1 of the offseason program with the same defensive coordinator he had the year prior.

It's a point of continuity easy to overlook during an offseason period defined by change across the league, but one that should have a real impact on Atlanta's defense in 2026.

"My first three years, I had a new defense, a whole new defensive scheme," Bates said. "To be able to be in Year 2 in this scheme, I think we can go to a whole other level and continue to build on what we were doing last year with the sack record. Hopefully, this year we can get the interception record."

After helping the Falcons set a franchise record with 57 sacks in 2025, defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich was retained by new head coach Kevin Stefanski. For a defense that made strides in key areas last season and features several promising young players, consistency is important.

"We don't know each other personally, but we know a lot of people in this business," Stefanski said of Ulbrich in his introductory press conference. "The way they talked about him and the way they talked about how he teaches and how he gets the most out of his players, there was a very easy conversation with [Ulbrich] and I about how we saw this game of football and how demanding we are of our players. Then, just watching the tape, some of the things that he was able to do this season with some of our young players, it was really exciting."

Instead of spending the spring and summer months learning a new scheme and coach, Falcons defenders can continue to build upon what they accomplished in Year 1. The philosophy, verbiage and expectations should all be clearly understood by those returning.

With a good foundation in place, they can drill deeper into the actual designs of the defense and the heart, mind, fist ideology that Ulbrich preaches. The mind part of his approach, for example, seeks to help players speed up their decision-making through high-count repetition, allowing them to play faster on Sundays. With a full year of those reps already in place, that speed should be apparent early in training camp.

"Defense is really about precision," Bates said. "You've got to be able to know: What are we showing? What are we actually playing? What are we trying to get out of these defensive looks that we're trying to show these quarterbacks and these offensive coordinators?"

The benefits also work both ways. As much as players will have a better understanding of their coach going into Year 2, Ulbrich will also know exactly what each of his returning defenders does well, how the pieces fit together and where they can push to improve this fall.

Take edge defender Jalon Walker as an example. The 15^th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft is a multi-faceted player who brings a lot to the table. The approach for Walker going into his rookie year, however, was specific and refined: He was going to line up off the edge and hone his ability as a pass rusher. As Walker enters his second season, Ulbrich says his vision for him is "much clearer" and that the team would begin to "utilize his versatility" more in the defense.

That knowledge also pays dividends for Stefanski and general manager Ian Cunningham as they build out their first roster in Atlanta. Like a chef who knows his recipe backwards and forwards, Ulbrich can relay to the Falcons' front office exactly what skills the team needs to add on defense and how they will fit into the overall vision.

"There's not always the humility to ask questions, and they want to make their mind up for themselves. I haven't felt that from this group at all," Ulbrich said of the new members of the Falcons' staff. "So, they've done exactly that, in regards to the character. Obviously, they can watch the tape and they can evaluate the talent. But really, for an assessment of the character and their process, and what they're like in the building, the teammates that they are, the learners that they are. This has been super collaborative across the board, and it's going to be a huge reason that we might not have the pitfalls of a true first-year staff."

Atlanta has invested a lot in its defense in recent offseasons. Four of the team's five draft picks in 2025 were on defense. In 2024, there were five defenders in the eight-man draft class. Of the 19 acquisitions the Falcons have made this offseason, 10 were made to bolster Ulbrich's unit.

In his first year as defensive coordinator, Ulbrich's group laid a strong foundation with promising results. With him remaining on Stefanski's staff, the momentum from last season carries on, and players like Bates can feel it.

"I know what Brich is, I know who he is as a person," Bates said. "Being able to work with him for one year, I can only imagine what I'm going to learn in Year 2 with him. I love Brich. What he's about, every single day, he lives it. Heart, mind, fist, that's what he does with his family, his football family, all the above, that's just who he is."