Falcons hire Rams pass game coordinator Zac Robinson as new offensive coordinator

Raheem Morris brings a rising Rams coach with him to Atlanta.

Raheem Morris figured to try to fill out his staff in Atlanta as quickly as possible after the Atlanta Falcons hired him earlier this week, and so far, so good on that front.

After reportedly securing Marquice Williams as his special teams coordinator for 2024 after Williams agreed to stay on, Morris made perhaps his biggest hire on Saturday night when he landed Rams pass game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Zac Robinson as his new offensive coordinator. Robinson will replace Dave Ragone, who is not yet officially out but could land elsewhere as a coordinator or with Arthur Smith at his next stop.

The Buccaneers had requested an interview with Robinson and the Bears, Saints, and Patriots had already interviewed him virtually; had the Falcons not hired him, the Saints, Raiders, and Steelers were hoping to host him in-person. Instead, Morris was able to lure a coach he’s familiar with to the Falcons to be his new offensive coordinator, and that’s a big plus given that Robinson had helped put together a terrific passing game in Los Angeles last year and keeping the offense on the rails in 2022 despite injuries.

A former NFL quarterback who had spent his entire coaching career on Sean McVay’s staff with the Rams, Robinson joined up as an assistant quarterbacks coach in 2019 and reprised that role in 2021, with a one-year stint as an assistant wide receivers coach in 2020. He’s not the most experienced candidate out there, as he has yet to serve as an offensive coordinator, but the quarterbacks coach work and his strong work with the Rams passing attack this past year in particular will matter a lot with the Falcons seeking to add their new franchise quarterback this offseason and rebuild a moribund passing attack that was gravely disappointing in 2023.

I’d expect Robinson to consider bringing Jake Peetz with him from the Rams, as the pass game specialist the past two years would’ve worked closely with Robinson and has multiple years of experience as a quarterbacks coach in the NFL, making that a role he could easily reprise in Atlanta. Regardless of how he builds out his staff, Robinson’s integral role in Los Angeles, his working relationship with Morris, and the fact that he was a hot offensive coordinator candidate around the league have me excited about what he might be able to do for the Falcons. It’s a strong first (second, if you count keeping Williams) hire for Morris.

With any luck, Robinson will get the Falcons offense to the heights we expected them to reach in 2023 while Morris coaxes improvement and more wins out of the entire roster. Expect more hires to be announced in short order with the Senior Bowl fast approaching and the Falcons looking to hit the ground running on a critical 2024 offseason.