Atlanta Falcons secondary coach/senior defensive assistant Marquand Manuel will be named the team's defensive coordinator, a source told ESPN.
Manuel was considered the front-runner after the Falcons decided not to keep Richard Smith in that role. Smith could remain on staff in an advisory position but he is exploring other options.
Manuel, 37, has the most familiarity with head coach Dan Quinn's scheme. He was the assistant secondary coach for the Seattle Seahawks when Quinn was the defensive coordinator there. Manuel then followed Quinn to Atlanta in 2015.
Manuel played eight NFL seasons at strong safety from 2002-2009 after entering the NFL as a sixth-round draft pick of the Cincinnati Bengals.