The Falcons are moving into a new era under head coach Arthur Smith, who now has to fill his staff with assistant coaches who share his vision for the team.
As reported by D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Falcons will not retain offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter along with six assistant coaches. Greg Knapp, Chad Walker, Tosh Lupoi, Mayur Chaudhari, Chris Morgan and Aden Durden will not return in 2021.
Durden, the linebacker coach of Atlanta in 2020, will join the Cowboys staff as an assistant under Dan Quinn, who has just taken over as defense coordinator in Dallas.
These moves are not shocking, as any incoming head coach prefers to surround themselves with like-minded assistants. Atlanta has already been linked on both sides of the ball to several coordinators and assistants.
Considering how rare it is to retain assistant coaches, it is noteworthy that Smith himself survived by three different head coaches while serving as an assistant in Tennessee.