The Falcons have added Travis Jones, assistant defensive line coach, and Aden Durde, defensive quality control, to the club’s coaching staff.
Durde, who becomes the first product of domestic American football in the UK to achieve a full-time position on an NFL team coaching staff, said : “I am very excited about this opportunity and can’t wait to get started working with head coach Dan Quinn and his staff. It has been an incredible journey for me and I hope my appointment serves as an example to players and coaches in the UK of what is possible for them.”
Jones spent the last five seasons as a defensive assistant with Seattle Seahawks. He joined the Seahawks in 2013, serving under then defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, and was later promoted to senior defensive assistant in 2017. Prior to arriving in Seattle, Jones spent five seasons as an assistant defensive line coach for the New Orleans Saints. He started his NFL coaching career with the Miami Dolphins, from 2005-07, where he worked on the same staff as Quinn.
He has assisted two Super-Bowl winning defenses and has worked with Pro Bowl players including Cliff Avril, Michael Bennett, and Jason Taylor during his career. Jones got his coaching start up the road in Athens at his alma mater, Georgia, as a graduate assistant/defensive line in 1997. He moved on to Appalachian State (1998-00), Kansas (2001-02) and LSU (2003-04), where he was the defensive line coach/recruiting coordinator for the Tigers. He played four seasons for the Bulldogs as a defensive lineman and was a team captain as a senior.
Durde joins the Falcons after serving as the head of football development at NFLUK, where he helped guide the International Player Pathway program. Working with Super Bowl champion and former Atlanta Falcon Osi Umenyiora, Durde helped four international players, tight end Alex Gray (Atlanta), defensive end Alex Jenkins (New Orleans), defensive end Efe Obada (Carolina), and linebacker Eric Nzeocha (Tampa Bay) transition to practice squads in 2017.
Prior to his work with NFLUK, Durde spent training camp with the Falcons as part of the Bill Walsh NFL Diversity Coaching Fellowship in 2016. He also worked as a coaching intern with Dallas Cowboys during training camp in 2014. Durde served as the defensive coordinator of the London Warriors for six seasons. Prior to that, he played linebacker in NFL Europe for six years with the Scottish Claymores and Hamburg Sea Devils while also spending time on the practice squads of the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs.