Michael Bearden, who began his NFL coaching journey as a fellow with the Cleveland Browns, has joined the Atlanta Falcons as the Ollie Wilson Coaching Fellow. The fellowship aims to provide young coaches with opportunities to learn and grow within the league.
Bearden recalled a formative moment during his first year in Cleveland when veteran quarterback Joe Flacco asked for his opinion while watching film. “Hey Mike,” Flacco said, “what did you see on that?” Bearden described the exchange as a confidence boost. “This dude is a Super Bowl MVP,” Bearden said. “It’s just my first year in the league and we’re just having conversations about coverages and what we saw.” He added, “To me, it was almost like a confidence boost… You don’t need to feel a certain way when you walk into the room, you know it, too. Be confident.”
Programs like this fellowship are designed to help emerging coaches establish themselves in professional football. Last season, Bearden worked in the Browns’ quarterback room after completing a rigorous interview process for a fellowship named after Bill Willis.
Kevin Stefanski, now head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, explained his commitment to developing offensive coaches: “I want to be so intentional about this position and finding the right people so we can develop coaches along the offensive side of the ball,” he said. “I am so passionate about this because I was the beneficiary of being developed in this way.” Stefanski noted that Bearden made an immediate impact: “And it was evident right away that this was someone who was going to make an impact on this game. I believe that very strongly.”
Stefanski began his own career in NFL coaching rooms before advancing to full-time roles—a path similar to what he envisions for fellows like Bearden. He described time spent in quarterback rooms as valuable for learning through observation: “Being in the quarterback room is a great place to start… There is a lot of high-level discussion in that room.”
After being hired by Atlanta last month as its 20th head coach, Stefanski continued his support for fellowship initiatives by bringing Bearden onto his staff.
The title honors Ollie Wilson, who served two stints as Falcons running backs coach (1991–96 and 2002–07). Wilson coached multiple 1,000-yard rushers and started his own NFL career through a minority coaching fellowship program.
“As a league, it is very obvious to me that we can do better having Black coaches in leadership positions,” Stefanski said. “Having the ability in my chair to develop young, Black coaches on the offensive side of the ball is important if you want to affect change, which we do here at the Falcons.”
Bearden’s role will expand as he transitions from working with quarterbacks to joining tight ends coach Kevin Koger under offensive coordinator Tommy Rees. Stefanski sees value in exposing young coaches to various positions: “They were great experiences for me to broaden my scope and how I see the game… And I think one of the best ways to do that is to expose them to as many different positions as you can.”
Bearden echoed these sentiments: “It’s cool being able to bounce around different rooms and hear the different nuanced teachings… The nuances are where you grow.” He added about moving forward: “Learning… that’s my favorite thing about all of this.”
Stefanski concluded by emphasizing experiential growth: “In any line of work, we are the product of our experiences… Being with Tommy Rees on a daily basis, working with Kevin Koger, listening to how Bill Callahan coaches the offensive line—all of these add up… I think our job is to help our coaches develop…”
The Atlanta Falcons compete in the NFL’s NFC South division and have reached the Super Bowl twice, including appearances in 1998 and 2016. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, they began play as an expansion team in 1965.
Freddie the Falcon serves as their mascot according to their official website.