Falcons Announce Four Coaching Staff Moves, Including Hiring Ricky Manning

The Atlanta Falcons announced a series of moves to the coaching staff on Tuesday, including: 

NEW: The Atlanta Falcons have made the following coaching staff moves:
— Retained Barrett Ruud as ILB coach
— Retained and promoted John Timu to OLB coach
— Hired Ricky Manning as the assistant DB/nickels coach
— Hired LaTroy Lewis as an assistant DL coachhttps://t.co/je7WFnP7ms

— Tori McElhaney (@tori_mcelhaney) February 10, 2026

• Hired assistant DB coach/nickels Ricky Manning
• Hired assistant DL coach LaTroy Lewis
• Promoted John Timu to OLB coach
• Retained ILB coach Barrett Ruud

All four coaches here have former NFL playing experience, with Ruud and Manning former starters. 

Manning, 45, was a third-round pick by the Panthers out of UCLA in 2003. He was tendered as a restricted free agent in 2006, then signed away by the Bears. 

He spent two years in Chicago before being cut and signing with the Rams. He retired after seven years in the NFL, then started coaching in 2012. The Seahawks hired him as an assistant DB coach from 2016-2017 and he had stints as an assistant with the Jets (2021-2023) and Raiders (2024).