The whistle hadn’t even blown for the Falcons’ final preseason game when the NFL’s rumor mill, that perpetual motion machine of speculation, began to whir with an unexpected absence. On the sideline in Dallas, a crucial piece of the Falcons’ new identity was missing. The broadcast booth was the first to signal the shift; Falcons DC Jeff Ulbrich was not with the team.

Having returned to Atlanta earlier in the day to attend to a personal matter, it was a quiet but seismic shift for a unit desperate for his leadership. As ESPN’s Jennifer Hale reported, “Falcons DC Jeff Ulbrich not on sidelines for 3rd preseason game. He traveled to Dallas w/ team, but left to address personal matter.” In his stead, the defensive play-calling was delegated, a two-act play with defensive pass game coordi

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