Dean Pees is coming out of retirement to join Arthur Smith’s coaching staff with the Atlanta Falcons as the team’s defensive coordinator, a source confirmed to ESPN on Friday.
The NFL Network was the first to report the movement.
Pees’ second retirement lasted just over a year after he left the Tennessee Titans after the 2020 season.
He has 47 years of coaching experience, including 16 seasons in the NFL.
Pees, 71, retired for the first time after the 2018 season, when he left after six seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. Six weeks later, he was hired by Mike Vrabel as the Titans’ defensive coordinator.
The veteran coach is one of eight defensive coordinators in NFL history to train in a Super Bowl with two different teams. He was part of a Super Bowl winning team for the Ravens and New England Patriots.
Pees, known for his elaborate schemes and his ability to confuse defenders, joined the NFL as a coach for linebackers with the Patriots in 2004.
The Falcons on Thursday also hired Marquice Williams as coordinator of special teams, a source confirmed to ESPN.
ESPN’s Turron Davenport contributed to this report.