NFL News: Jimmy Lake Fired as Falcons DC by Raheem Morris After 1 Season

The Atlanta Falcons fired Jimmy Lake on Saturday, ending his tenure as the team's defensive coordinator after just one season.

The Falcons fired defensive line coach Jay Rodgers as well.

"After a thorough evaluation of the season, and with careful consideration for our team's future, we deemed these moves necessary," head coach Raheem Morris said. "These decisions are never easy from the human side of things and we wish Jimmy, Jay and their families the best."

The Falcons were among the NFL's biggest disappointments this season, as they went 8-9 and missed the playoffs for a seventh consecutive year.

It came as little surprise when the Falcons hired Lake since he and Morris have worked together multiple times over the years.

They were on the same staff with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2007 when Morris was defensive backs coach and Lake was assistant defensive backs coach, and again from 2010 to 2011 when Morris was the Bucs' head coach and Lake was the DB coach.

Morris and Lake reunited in 2023 with the Los Angeles Rams, as Morris was the defensive coordinator and Lake was the assistant head coach under Sean McVay.

Before Morris hired Lake in Atlanta, he had never been an NFL defensive coordinator before, although he was DC at the University of Washington from 2016 to 2019 and then served as the Huskies' head coach for parts of the 2020 and 2021 seasons, posting a 7-6 record.

The University of Washington fired Lake in November 2021 amid a suspension for striking and pushing Huskies linebacker Ruperake Fuavai while trying to break up a scrum.

After ranking 11th in total defense and 18th in scoring defense under head coach Arthur Smith and DC Ryan Nielsen in 2023, the unit took a step back under Morris and Lake in 2024.

The Falcons ranked just 23rd in both total defense and scoring defense, plus they were 31st in the NFL in sacks with 31.

After signing quarterback Kirk Cousins in free agency this past offseason, the Falcons were widely considered the team to beat in the NFC South, but Cousins fell flat and the defense offered little resistance.

The Falcons have already committed to 2024 first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. as the starting quarterback in 2025, and it appears as though the defense may be significantly overhauled as well.