Atlanta Falcons fire all three coordinators

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Falcons are making some big changes to their coaching staff.

NFL league sources told Channel 2 Sports Director Zach Klein that the Falcons are letting go all three of their coordinators.

Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel and special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong have all been relieved of their duties.

"The deciding factor to move on all three coordinators boiled down to the fact that the vision (Coach Dan) Quinn has for this team, specifically in its style of play, wasn’t there on a consistent basis," the Falcons said.

"We know we have a group of players here we are excited about and in order for us to consistently play true to our identity in all three phases we thought we needed some changes," Quinn said.

Quinn will assume the role of defensive coordinator moving forward. Armstrong had been with the Falcons in the same role since 2008.

The team did not announce any other changes to the existing staff.

Manuel joined the organization in 2015 as the team’s secondary coach. He was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2017. Quinn also fired his first defensive coordinator Richard Smith, after taking over the play calling duties during the 2016 season and run to Super Bowl LI.

Sarkisian had been the offensive coordinator since 2017 after Kyle Shanahan left to become the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. He has struggled to make adjustments in the NFL and score in the red zone.

Manuel and Sarkisian were first-time coordinators in the NFL. After a strong first season, the Falcons finished ranked in the bottom half of the league in all key categories: points allowed (25th), total yards (28th), rushing yards (25th) and passing yards (27th).

Information from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution was used in this report.

Cox Media Group