4 first-year NFL defensive coordinators facing the toughest tasks

Some NFL teams need to get back to basics on defense, which could be why many teams hired a new defensive play-caller for the upcoming season. Some of it was natural with new coaching staffs taking over and some was due to talented coaches moving on. Regardless, here are a few defensive play-callers taking the reins in 2025 for teams that really need them to do a good job.

Jeff Ulbrich, Atlanta Falcons

With the Shedeur Sanders prank call surrounding his son in the rearview mirror, Ulbrich can get back to focusing on a monumental task ahead of him: trying to fix the Atlanta Falcons’ porous defense. The Falcons have consistently been one of the worst defensive teams over the past decade of football and have tried to fix that by drafting both linebacker Jalon Walker and defensive end James Pearce Jr. in the first round of last month's NFL Draft. Ulbrich is the second defensive coordinator in two years for head coach Raheem Morris, who should be trying to do his best to turn it around considering the Falcons' front office has been stuck in the mud during this era of the franchise. The Falcons are a bit light in the front seven, so they’ll need the expertise of Ulbrich and Morris to put them in advantageous spots.

Dennis Allen, Chicago Bears

The Bears have a lineup of talented defensive players, but they didn’t always play like that last season. Especially after they had their hearts broken by the Commanders on the infamous Hail Mary that was a turning point in both of their seasons. With, hopefully, a bit more support from the offensive side of the ball, the Bears' defense won’t be in as many perilous situations as they were last season. Allen did a great job coordinating the Saints' defense even as the talent deteriorated over the years, so the Bears' defense should be in for a big boost with Allen calling plays. They’ll probably need it as Caleb Williams and the offense continues to gel in their first year with Ben Johnson as the offensive play-caller.

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Kelvin Sheppard, Detroit Lions

Staying in the NFC North, the Lions have had a defensive coordinator change as well after losing Aaron Glenn to the Jets’ head coaching vacancy. For a team that very much still has Super Bowl aspirations this season, it’ll be imperative that the Lions hit the ground running and get back to playing strong defense, which eluded them at the end of last season as the injuries piled up. Unlike Ulbrich and Allen, this will be Sheppard’s first time as a defensive coordinator and he'll have the chance to imprint his name upon the Lions’ defense. He got some reinforcements with free agent signing D.J. Reed, first-round pick Tyleik Williams and the return of star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson from injury — the cupboard isn’t bare, but now it’s time to see what Sheppard can do.

Anthony Campanile, Jacksonville Jaguars

Here's another first-year defensive coordinator. For a team that just had one of the worst records in the NFL, the Jaguars have some surprisingly high goals for the upcoming season. In a division where any of the four teams seem to have a shot to win the whole thing, it’s imperative the Jaguars’ new coaching staff gets up to speed immediately. They’re not really as barren talent-wise as one might expect for a team that’s won as few games as they have over the past few years, but one of these years they’re going to have to cash in on the talent they’ve collected through the draft. Campanile has a tall task on his hands, but with players like Josh Hines-Allen, Travon Walker, Foye Oluokun, Tyson Campbell and spurts of Travis Hunter, they’ll have a good shot to at least improve from where they were a year ago.