Less than two months after being fired as the Atlanta Falcons' defensive coordinator, Jimmy Lake has a new job.
Lake, the former University of Washington head coach who spent the 2023 season as the Los Angeles Rams' assistant head coach, has returned to Los Angeles. The Rams announced their coaching staff Feb. 25 and hired Lake as a senior defensive assistant.
In Lake's lone season calling plays, the Falcons' defense had a tale of two seasons.
Atlanta entered its Week 12 bye ranked No. 18 in takeaways and run defense, No. 25 in total yards and pass defense, No. 26 in scoring and No. 32 -- dead last -- in sacks.
But after a bye week spent self-scouting, the Falcons' defense, by in large, turned the corner.
Over the final six games, the Falcons ranked No. 5 in total defense, third in sacks (21), tied for 12th in takeaways (eight) and No. 15 in scoring (24.8 points per game).
For its collective body of work, Atlanta finished the season No. 15 in run defense (120.6 yards allowed per game), No. 22 in pass defense (224.5 yards allowed per game), No. 23 in total defense (345.2 yards allowed per game) and No. 23 in scoring (24.9 points per game).
Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, who brought Lake with him from the Rams last offseason, addressed the team's decision to fire Lake in a press release issued Jan. 11.
"After a thorough evaluation of the season, and with careful consideration for our team's future, we deemed these moves necessary," Morris said in the release.
Atlanta hired former New York Jets defensive coordinator and interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich as its new defensive coordinator. Ulbrich spent 2015-20 as a Falcons assistant, and now, he's back where he was before his latest stop -- just like Lake.
