Michael Rothstein, ESPN Staff Writer January 28, 2024, 10:35 a.m. ET
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- Michael Rothstein is a reporter for NFL Nation at ESPN. Rothstein covers the Atlanta Falcons. You can follow him on Twitter @MikeRothstein.
The Atlanta Falcons are bringing in more than just their new head coach from the Los Angeles Rams.
In one of the first hires for new Falcons coach Raheem Morris, he is naming Zac Robinson as the team's offensive coordinator, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter. Robinson, 37, had been the Rams' quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator for the past two seasons and worked his way up the coaching ranks.
The former NFL and Oklahoma State quarterback had spent his entire coaching career with the Rams, starting as the team's assistant quarterbacks coach in 2019, then becoming an assistant receivers coach in 2020 and working again as an assistant quarterbacks coach in 2021. coach before being promoted to passer coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2022.
Skill position players Robinson will need to work with include running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, receiver Drake London and tight ends Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith, all of whom are under contract for 2024. All five starting offensive players from last year's team are also under contract, including Pro Bowl right guard Chris Lindstrom.
The question for Robinson will be quarterback. Atlanta has both of last year's starters, Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke, under contract for 2024, but one of the reasons the Falcons fired Arthur Smith after three seasons on Jan. 8 was the quarterback play, which team owner Arthur Blank called “poor.” “designated.”
Robinson has worked with Matthew Stafford for the past three seasons and also with Jared Goff during Robinson's first season with the Rams in 2019. Now he could develop a younger quarterback depending on how the Falcons handle their quarterback room.
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Robinson was selected by the New England Patriots as a seventh-round quarterback out of Oklahoma State in 2010. He spent time with New England, the Seattle Seahawks, the Detroit Lions and the Cincinnati Bengals, but never threw a pass in a regular-season NFL game.
He then became a quarterback development coach at Texas and worked for the analytics website Pro Football Focus before turning to coaching and being hired by the Rams.
Atlanta also acquired special teams coordinator Marquice Williams on Saturday, a league source told ESPN. This will allow the Falcons to retain one of the league's top special teams coordinators and also ensure continuity in the staff as the club transitions from the former Smith to Morris.