Arthur Smith reaches an agreement to become the new head coach of the Atlanta Falcons

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16:55 ET

  • Turron DavenportESPN

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    • Eagles covered for USA Today
    • He covered the Ravens for the Baltimore Times
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The Atlanta Falcons have agreed a deal with Arthur Smith to be the team’s new head coach, it was announced on Friday.

Smith has been the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans for the past two seasons.

Smith, 38, replaces Dan Quinn, whom the Falcons fired along with general manager Thomas Dimitroff on Oct. 11 after a 0-5 start. Raheem Morris took over as interim head coach and led the Falcons to their only victories in the 2020 season, on the road to an overall record of 4-12.

The Titans ranked fourth in the league in scoring in the regular season, averaging 30.7 points per game under Smith. Tennessee finished the regular season averaging 396.4 total yards per game, good for third in the NFL. The Titans’ rushed attack was 168.1 meters per game, second only to the Baltimore Ravens (191.9 meters).

Tennessee got a rare balance under Smith. Derrick Henry’s backstroke of 2,027 meters was the fifth best speed ever and he became the eighth player to exceed the 2,000-meter mark. Titans receiver AJ Brown finished with 1,075 receiving meters, and his teammate Corey Davis finished the season 16 meters from the 1,000-meter plateau.

Smith joined the Titans in 2011 as a defensive coach for quality control; then played several other roles in Tennessee, including quality control offensive coach, offensive line assistant and tight-headed coach.

Smith also interviewed the Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions, New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles. The Jaguars hired Urban Meyer as their new head coach on Thursday.

Dave Ragone, coordinator of Bears Passing, is the favorite to join Smith as offensive coordinator in Atlanta, sources told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.

The Falcons had a long-distance interview with Smith Monday before flying to Atlanta for a second interview Wednesday. The team also interviewed Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady, and Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator. Nathaniel Hackett.

The Jets announced Thursday night that they have reached an agreement in principle with Saleh to be their next head coach.

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