Dwayne Ledford joined the Falcons on Jan. 22, 2021, and spent three seasons as the team's offensive line coach before adding the title of run game coordinator on Jan. 31, 2024.

In 2024, Atlanta's offensive line blocked for an offense that ranked sixth in the league with 369.82 yards per game, fifth in passing yards per game (239.3) and 10th in rushing yards per game (130.5). Ledford also guided guard Chris Lindstrom to a third-consecutive Pro Bowl appearance and second-team All-Pro accolades. In 2024, Atlanta again posted a top-10 rushing attack and eclipsed 100 yards in 12 games, including a 227-yard rushing game in Week 18 vs. Carolina.

Second-year running back Bijan Robinson had a breakout campaign, with a career-high 304 rushes for 1,456 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns, in addition to 61 receptions for 431 yards and one touchdown. His 14 rushing touchdowns in 2024 were the most by a Falcon since Michael Turner in 2008. Robinson also became the second-fastest Falcon (32 games) to reach 3,000 scrimmage yards in a career behind just William Andrews (31 games). He was also the first Falcon to rush for two touchdowns in three consecutive games (Weeks 16-18) since Jamal Anderson in 1998. He was the only player in the NFL to have rushed for multiple touchdowns in three consecutive games in 2024.

In 2023, the Falcons boasted a top-10 rushing offense averaging 127 yards per game and eclipsing 100 yards in 11 games. Atlanta totaled 657 of its 2,159 rushing yards before contact and averaged 1.33 yards before contact per rush. Atlanta's offense totaled 400-or-more yards in six games tied for the fourth most by a Falcons offense. Running behind the Falcons offensive line, Robinson led all rookies with 976 rushing yards and Andrews' (1,332) franchise record for yards from scrimmage by a rookie with 1,463.

The Falcons ran for more than 100 yards in 27 games behind their offensive line from 2022-23. Atlanta is the first team in NFL history to have rookies in three consecutive seasons top 1,000 scrimmage yards, with Robinson and Tyler Allgeier accomplishing the feat in 2023 and 2022 respectively. Atlanta's line also protected quarterbacks Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke in 2023, surrendering 40 sacks on 599 dropbacks. Ridder also ranked tied for fourth with five rushing touchdowns on the season.

Ledford's unit has been anchored by established veterans in Lindstrom, Kaleb McGary and Jake Matthews, who holds the franchise record by starting 178 straight games dating back to his rookie season in 2014. Alongside those veterans, Ledford has overseen the development of center Ryan Neuzil and 2023 rookie Matthew Bergeron, a starter in all 17 games.

In 2022, Atlanta offense led the NFL in fewest penalties, finished third in the NFL in rushing yards per game and 10th in third-down conversion rate. Atlanta also had the third-highest successful play rate on rushing attempts, based on EPA, at 45.1 percent. The Falcons rushing attack averaged 74.5 more rushing yards per game in 2022 than it did in 2021, resulting in the largest one-season improvement by any team since at least 2001. With Cordarrelle Patterson (340), Allgeier (324), Marcus Mariota (280) and Caleb Huntley (265), the Falcons became the first team to have four players with at least 250 rushing yards through the first eight games of a season in NFL history. Additionally, Allgeier surpassed Andrews (1,023 in 1979) for the most rushing yards by a rookie in franchise history and became the sixth rookie selected in the fifth round-or-later to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards over the past 20 seasons. Patterson also set single-season career highs for rushing yards (695) and rushing touchdowns (eight).

In his first season in Atlanta, Patterson set then single-season career highs in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns behind Atlanta's offensive line. Additionally, Lindstrom was the only guard to appear in all 17 games and not allow a single sack in the NFL in 2021.

Prior to joining Atlanta, Ledford spent two seasons (2019-20) at Louisville as the offensive coordinator/offensive line coach. In 2020, the Cardinals posted 2,686 passing yards and 2,200 rushing yards while averaging 29.5 points per game. In 2019, his offense was averaging 33.1 points per game and had a 1,500-yard rusher (Javian Hawkins) and 1,200-yard receiver (Tutu Atwell). The team had four offensive players named to All-ACC team; Atwell (first-team), OT Mekhi Becton (first-team), Hawkins (second-team) and AP Hassan Hall (second-team).

Before Louisville, Ledford spent three seasons at NC State, where he helped construct the Wolfpack's offensive lines into one of the best units in the ACC. He spent two seasons as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator and added the associate head coach title his final year with the Wolfpack. Senior Garrett Bradbury was a consensus All-American earned Associated Press All-America honors and won the Rimington Trophy as the nation's top center. Bradbury and left tackle Tyler Jones both made the All-ACC team this season. It was the first time since 1974 the Pack had two from the offensive linemen on the first-team.

The Wolfpack had a 1,000-yard rusher in each season of Ledford's tenure. NC State went from 2002 to 2015 without a 1,000-yard rusher, which was the longest drought in the country. In three seasons directing the offensive line, the Wolfpack saw their sack total decrease, ranking among the top 20 in the country.

Ledford arrived in NC State after four seasons coaching the offensive line at Appalachian State, and three years as co-offensive coordinator for the run game. The Mountaineers set a Sun Belt single-season record with 11 wins in 2015, the team's first full year of FBS eligibility, and his offense ranked fourth in the FBS in sacks allowed in 2015 with just 0.85 per game, and paved the way for a 271.5 yard rushing average, which ranked sixth nationally.

Before joining the Appalachian State staff in 2012, Ledford spent one season as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator at Gardner-Webb and one season as the offensive line coach at Tennessee State.

Ledford's first coaching job came while he was still playing in the NFL, as he served as a strength and conditioning coach at North Carolina in 2005 and as an offensive line intern with the Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europe in the spring of 2006.

A seven-year NFL veteran, Ledford played for the San Francisco 49ers (1999-2000, 2003-04), Jacksonville Jaguars (2000), Carolina Panthers (2001), Cleveland Browns (2005) and New Orleans Saints (2006).

Following his playing career, he was named the Galaxy's tight ends and tackles coach in the spring of 2007 before returning to the U.S. to serve as the offensive line coach at Sanderson High in Raleigh, N.C., that fall. He spent two seasons as a graduate assistant coach at his alma mater, East Carolina (2008-09), working with the offensive line and guiding the Pirates to back-to-back Conference USA titles.

Ledford played defensive line at ECU from 1995-97, starting all 11 games as a junior and finishing with 26 career tackles. He moved to offensive line prior to his senior campaign and made nine starts at left tackle in 1998 and was named a 1998-99 National Strength and Conditioning All-American.

A native of Marion, N.C., Ledford and his wife, Meredith, have two sons, Hudson and Jordan.