Kirby Smart’s influence has officially made the jump from Athens to Atlanta. The Georgia head coach’s blueprint for building a championship program is now being studied by the Falcons as they search for their next head coach. Franchise legend Matt Ryan, their new president of football operations, is making it clear that Atlanta won’t be following the NFL’s recent obsession with young offensive-minded coaches.

Ryan addressed the trend of hiring young offensive coordinators as head coaches across the NFL. “We are looking for the best coach. Kirby Smart down the road, he does good as a defensive coach,” Ryan said during his first news conference as president of football on Tuesday. “We are looking for the best football coach, offensive or defensive-minded. Looking for people that connect with players, push players, and offer support.” 

It’s Ryan essentially saying the Falcons aren’t going to fall into the trap of prioritizing scheme over leadership. Kirby Smart has won two national championships at Georgia and has the program positioned as a perennial title contender precisely because he built a culture first and worried about offensive trends second. 

The Falcons’ situation is genuinely dire. Morris went 16-18 across two seasons despite having legitimate talent on the roster, including a defense that set a franchise record with 57 sacks in 2025, led by rookie James Pearce Jr.. The problem was inconsistency. It was evidenced by Atlanta, which started 3-2. Then the Falcons collapsed with a five-game losing streak and were eliminated from playoff contention. But suddenly, they had a turnaround and finished strong with four straight wins that ultimately meant nothing. 

That kind of volatility screams culture problem, not scheme problem. Ryan knows this firsthand from his playing days. And now he’s tasked with finding someone who can establish an ironclad identity that Smart has built down the road in Athens. The Falcons have interviewed both offensive and defensive candidates, including John Harbaugh, Kevin Stefanski, Mike McDaniel, and Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver.​

One key difference Ryan has to navigate with this motivation is that college football success is heavily driven by recruiting, not necessarily the offensive or defensive background of the coach. Smart’s dominance at Georgia stems from his ability to recruit elite talent, develop that talent through a disciplined program, and adjust schemes based on personnel. 

In the NFL, you don’t have the luxury of building through recruiting classes over multiple years. You’re dealing with free agency, the draft, and a salary cap, which means the coach needs to maximize the roster immediately while building a culture that attracts players who want to be there. That’s why Ryan’s philosophy makes so much sense. It doesn’t matter if the person is an offensive guru or a defensive mastermind. They need to be the right person for the job who can connect with players, establish standards, and win consistently.​

The right man for the job

Ryan himself might be the key to changing everything for the Falcons. Owner Arthur Blank created this new president of football operations role specifically to give final decision-making authority to someone who understands both the football and business sides of the organization. 

Ryan takes over football operations from Greg Beadles (who remains president and CEO), and both the new head coach and general manager will report directly to him. “To the Falcons fans, my mission since I was drafted has never changed,” Ryan said. “It is to help this organization do everything it can to be champions and to win championships. And there is a sense of unfinished business.”

By citing Smart’s defensive success as proof that the best coach doesn’t need to be offensive-minded, Ryan is causing a philosophical shift in a franchise that has cycled through four different head coaches this decade without finding sustained success. If the Falcons can replicate even a fraction of what Smart has built at Georgia, maybe Ryan’s unfinished business will finally get finished.​

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