- The Falcons have made of number of small changes to their coaching staff, tweets D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Dave Brock will move from running backs coach to assistant wide receivers coach, while Bernie Parmalee will switch from running backs coach to assistant special teams coach.
Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2019 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:
Arizona Cardinals
- WR Bryant Mitchell
Atlanta Falcons
- Former Redskins special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica has joined the Falcons in the same capacity, Atlanta announced today. He’ll replace Keith Armstrong, who was one of three Atlanta coordinators fired after the 2018 campaign. Washington ranked two spots higher in special teams DVOA than Atlanta a season ago, per Football Outsiders, finishing with better results in kickoffs and punt returns. Kotwica has worked in the NFL since 2007, working his way up from quality control coach to special teams coordinator with the Jets.
- Armstrong, meanwhile, will take over as the Buccaneers‘ new special teams coach, tweets Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. He’d been linked to Tampa Bay ever since Arians was rumored to be taking the head coaching position, and for good reason: as Auman notes, Armstrong played for Arians at Temple 35 years ago. Armstrong, who was a candidate for the Cardinals’ head coaching job in 2018, was fired by the Falcons last week, but quickly interviewed for a gig with the Bills before landing with the Buccaneers.
Minutes after the Buccaneers agreed to replace Dirk Koetter with Bruce Arians, the recently fired coach will land in familiar territory.
The Falcons are bringing Koetter back as their offensive coordinator, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The team offered Koetter the job on Monday night. He will now be facing the Bucs twice a season.
Mike Mularkey, who joined Darrell Bevell in interviewing for this post, will come back to Atlanta as tight ends coach, the Falcons announced.
Atlanta’s OC from 2012-14, Koetter relocated when the Falcons switched from Mike Smith to Dan Quinn. Now, he’ll work for Quinn and be the top offensive voice in the Falcons’ building. Quinn will now serve as his own defensive coordinator, and Koetter will be tasked with revitalizing an offense that regressed under Steve Sarkisian.
Although Atlanta improved from Sarkisian’s first year to his second, finishing 2018 as the No. 10 scoring offense (after ranking 15th in 2017), the Falcons fired him. He did not live up to expectations, and the offense (as could be expected) regressed from its historic 2016 perch under Kyle Shanahan. Koetter oversaw a Bucs attack that ranked third in yards this season, although Todd Monken was Tampa Bay’s primary play-caller this season. The Bucs boasted a top-10 yardage attack (ninth) in 2017, with Koetter calling the plays, as well.
With the Falcons, Koetter oversaw a No. 1-seeded team’s explosive offense in 2012 and two less impressive attacks in 2013 and ’14. Matt Ryan praised Koetter recently and will get to work with the veteran schemer again soon. Koetter also oversaw Julio Jones‘ rise; now, he’ll be in charge of the back end of the future Hall of Famer’s prime.
Mularkey is a three-time head coach whose most recent work includes ending a near-decade-long Titans playoff drought. Tennessee, however, fired Mularkey after the 2017 divisional-round sojourn. He served as the Falcons’ OC from 2008-11, and that tenure included an Atlanta run to the NFC’s No. 1 seed. Koetter replaced Mularkey when the latter became the Jaguars’ HC. He was a one-and-done in that role, however.
Prior to ascending to the Titans’ HC post, he was their tight ends instructor. The former NFL tight end has coached this position for four teams dating back to 1994.
Dirk Koetter may be going back to Atlanta. The Falcons offered the offensive coordinator position to Koetter, the former Buccaneers head coach and one-time Falcons OC. 
If Koetter and the Falcons finalize the deal, he’ll take over for the vacancy left by the firing of Steve Sarkisian. He was one of three known candidates to interview for the job, along with former Seattle offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and experienced coach Mike Mularkey.
The Falcons stressed consistency this offseason and going back to the future with Koetter should help achieve that goal.
“We’re not having wholesale changes on how we play in terms of a system,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said last week. “Not only is it important for the players and the staff, but also for Thomas (Dimitroff) and his staff as well in terms of the players that we’re scouting for, to fit the system. I think adaptability is probably the top factor going in.”
Koetter was a hot head coaching candidate a few years ago after he was widely credited with doing a great job coordinating the Falcons’ offense, but things never worked out in Tampa Bay. He went 9-7 his first year but that mark slipped to 5-11 last year and he was very nearly fired at the end of last season.
- If Arians does end up with the Buccaneers, former Falcons special teams coach Keith Armstrong could take the same role in Tampa Bay, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Armstrong, who had been Atlanta’s ST coach since 2008, was fired last week as the Falcons cleared out each of their coordinator roles. Based purely on performance, Armstrong posted a strong effort in 2018, as Atlanta ranked 10th in special teams DVOA. The 55-year-old Armstrong took two interviews for the Cardinals’ head coaching job last season, and was one of two candidates Arians personally recommended as a successor (the other being incumbent DC James Bettcher).
- Speaking of the Falcons, they have officially completed an interview with Darrell Bevell, whom they are considering for their offensive coordinator vacancy, per Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). Bevell, who was out of the NFL in 2018 after being fired by the Seahawks, is one of three candidates known to have interviewed to replace Steve Sarkisian, joining former Titans head coach Mike Mularkey and former Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter. Ex-Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak was also on Atlanta’s list of candidates, but the Broncos reportedly denied permission for an interview.
- The Broncos are blocking other teams from interviewing senior personnel adviser Gary Kubiak for offensive coordinator jobs, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Kubiak wants to remain in Denver anyway, but he has expressed interest in returning to the sidelines as an OC, and the Broncos would like him to serve in that role under whomever they hire as their next head coach (assuming that person is comfortable with such an arrangement). The Bengals and Falcons had requested interviews.
- Locking defensive tackle Grady Jarrett up longterm is a priority for the Falcons this offseason, according to GM Thomas Dimitroff, per Darin Gantt of ProFootballTalk.com. “We would like to have Grady back for many years to come”, Dimitroff said. Jarrett was one of the few bright spots on a Falcons defense that regressed mightily this season, and he received elite grades from Pro Football Focus. Jarrett, a fifth round pick in 2015, is set to be a free agent this offseason and should be in for a huge payday.
- Similarly, Falcons head coach Dan Quinn won’t be making a decision on a new offensive coordinator in the upcoming days. “I would say there’s nothing to announce today,” Quinn said (via ESPN’s Vaughn McClure). “I’m not going to put like two weeks or a week [on it], but it’s not in the next few days.” Quinn also noted that quarterback Matt Ryan may have a say in the who gets hired. “Well, I think Matt has input because of his familiarity with the offense,” Quinn said. “But as far as going to select people, that’s not part of his influence. … He has a part of it, but not part of who, if that makes sense.” The Falcons fired all three of their coordinators (offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel, and special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong) earlier this week. The team has reportedly interviewed former Falcons coordinator Mike Mularkey for the offensive position, and they’re also eyeing former Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.
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The Falcons will pick up strong safety Keanu Neal‘s fifth-year option, GM Thomas Dimitroff tells Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter).The exact numbers aren’t in yet, but it should be for about $6.7MM and keep him under club control through 2020. The pact, guaranteed for injury only, will become fully guaranteed on the first day of the ’20 league year. 
The Falcons have until May 3 to give Neal official notice on the option, but they did not need that much time to deliberate. They also aren’t overly concerned about the ACL tear which limited him to just one game last season. All indications are that Neal will be ready for training camp, along with fellowed injured standouts Devonta Freeman and Ricardo Allen.
Neal, 24 in July, made the Pro Bowl in 2017 after making 113 tackles and forcing three fumbles. Neal has forced eight fumbles in his career to date and has two 100-tackle seasons under his belt. He’s one of the more impressive young secondary players in the NFL and the Falcons intend to keep him around for a long time.