Ex-Titans Coach Dean Pees to Leave Retirement, Join Falcons as DC

The Atlanta Falcons have found their new defensive coordinator.

Atlanta announced it hired former Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Dean Pees, 71, for the position.

ESPN's Dianna Russini noted new Falcons head coach Arthur Smith convinced Pees to come out of retirement for the job.

Smith is the former offensive coordinator of the Titans.

The Falcons were just 4-12 in 2020 and missed the playoffs for the third straight year, in large part because of their defensive struggles.

They were 29th in the league in total yards allowed and 19th in points allowed and struggled to keep up in a strong division that also featured the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

That Pees will be the one to lead them is notable because his retirement lasted approximately one year. The Titans announced he retired in January 2020 following a 47-year coaching career, and he told reporters he wanted to spend more time with his family after so long in the NFL ranks.

Still, he will return to the sidelines for a new team and add to a resume that includes stops as the defensive coordinator of the Toledo Rockets, Michigan State Spartans, New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens.

He was also the head coach of the Kent State Golden Flashes.

The Falcons will have no shortage of experience with Pees leading their defense, and they will look to make the necessary strides to compete for the playoffs in the daunting NFC South.