Arthur Smith reaches a deal to become the new Atlanta Falcons head coach

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4:55 PM ET

  • Turron DavenportESPN

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    • Covered Eagles for USA Today
    • Covered the Ravens for Baltimore Times
    • Played college football at Cheyney University

The Atlanta Falcons have reached an agreement with Arthur Smith to become the team’s new head coach, it was announced Friday.

Smith was the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans for the past two seasons.

Smith, 38, replaces Dan Quinn, who shot the Falcons along with general manager Thomas Dimitroff on October 11 after a 0-5 start. Raheem Morris took over as interim head coach and led the Falcons to their only wins of the 2020 season on their way to a 4-12 overall record.

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

Tennessee reached a rare equilibrium under Smith. Walking back Derrick Henry’s 2,027 rushing yards were the fifth-best number of rushing yards ever, and he became the eighth player to cross the 2,000-meter plateau. Titans receiver AJ Brown finished with 1,075 receiving yards, and teammate Corey Davis finished the season 16 yards short of the 1,000-yard plateau.

Smith joined the Titans in 2011 as a defensive quality control coach; He went on to hold multiple other roles in Tennessee, including offensive quality control coach, offensive line assistant, and tight goal 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.

Bear’s passing match coordinator Dave Ragone is the favorite to join Smith as offensive coordinator in Atlanta, sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

The Falcons had a remote interview with Smith on Monday before flying him to Atlanta on Wednesday for a second interview. 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 on Thursday evening that they had reached an agreement in principle with Saleh to become their next head coach.

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