Joel Collier

Falcons Make Front Office Changes

The Falcons have made some changes to their staff, but new GM Terry Fontenot will also keep some big names from the previous regime on the payroll going forward.

Former GMs Phil Emery and Ruston Webster will remain with the Falcons, with the team shifting the pair from scouting roles to spots as senior personnel executives. Emery, the Bears’ GM from 2012-14, and Webster, the Titans’ GM from 2012-15, joined Thomas Dimitroff‘s staff in 2016 as scouts. Emery has worked in the NFL since 1998; Webster’s tenure in the league dates back to 1988.

Additionally, the Falcons are promoting Michael Ross and Tokunbo Abanikanda from area scouts to the national level. Ross has been with the Falcons since Dimitroff’s second year, rising up from the entry level to his current national scout post. Abanikanda, a 10-year Falcons staffer, has done the same since joining the team. Emery and Webster worked as national scouts during Dimitroff’s final five seasons.

Fontenot will also keep other Dimitroff-era staffers, though some will see their roles reduced. Former Chiefs assistant GM Joel Collier will move from national scout to area scout, while Shepley Heard will go from director of pro personnel down to area scout. Heard has been with the Falcons since 2005. Additionally, Benjamin Martinez will follow Fontenot over from New Orleans. A 12-year Saints staffer who worked as a video assistant for the past four years, Martinez will join the Falcons as a BLESTO scout. BLESTO scouts often do advance work on future draft classes.

Falcons Hire Joel Collier

The Falcons announced that they have hired Joel Collier as their new Director of Pro Personnel. Collier previously served as the assistant general manager for the Chiefs from 2009-13.

[RELATED: Falcons to retain general manager Thomas Dimitroff]

Collier brings more than 20 years of NFL experience to Atlanta and will rejoin a revamped front office. While GM Thomas Dimitroff remains in charge, the team has also hired a pair of ex-GMs in former Bears general manager Phil Emery and ex-Titans GM Ruston Webster as national scouts.

As detailed in the club’s press release, Collier helped the Chiefs complete one of the best turnarounds in NFL history as the club won the AFC West with a 10-6 record in 2010 after going 4-12 in 2009. One has to imagine that Collier’s history with Falcons Assistant General Manager Scott Pioli, formerly the top decision maker in KC, helped bring him to the Falcons. Collier and Pioli were largely responsible for drafting Pro Bowlers such as Eric Berry (3), Justin Houston (2), Dontari Poe, and Dexter McCluster for the Chiefs.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.