Raheem Morris’ staff is nearing completion after the Falcons announced several appointments, including one surprise.
Fans were already aware that Jay Rodgers had been named defensive line coach, but the appointment of Steve Scarnecchia as chief of staff and coaching operations is noteworthy.
Furthermore, Dwayne Ledford was retained but assigned a new role as run game coordinator. Two more holdovers were revealed: Sarah Hogan, director of coaching operations, and Donavan Ellison, coaching operations assistant.
Dave Huxtable’s retention as a senior defensive coach surprised many, as he had been expected to follow Ryan Nielsen to Jacksonville for a similar post.
Nielsen hired Huxtable from Nick Saban’s Alabama staff last year, but their relationship goes back further. Hux was the Wolpack’s defensive coordinator, while Nielsen was their defensive line coach and run game coordinator.
The 67-year-old has spent his entire coaching career at the university level before joining the Falcons last summer. It is apparent that Raheem Morris, Jimmy Lake, and/or the organization persuaded him to remain in Atlanta.
Despite his only season in the NFL, Huxtable is a highly experienced coach.
Scarnecchia is the other major acquisition here, having previously worked for the Falcons as an assistant to the head coach for six seasons. He returns to Atlanta following three seasons as the Jets’ chief of staff under coach Robert Saleh.
He is the son of the legendary Dante Scarnecchia, who is regarded as one of, if not the greatest offensive line coach in league history, having spent more than two decades in that job in New England and over 40 years with the Patriots organization in total.
