The Atlanta Falcons added another member to their front office staff on Wednesday, hiring Shawn Heinlen as the new director of college scouting. Heinlein spent the last four years as an area scout for the Cleveland Browns and has over 25 years of scouting experience.
He began his career with the Buffalo Bills as an intern in 1999 and returned in 2001 as an area scout. Heinlen worked in Buffalo for the next 16 years (2002-2017) before taking a job as a scout for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018. Per the Falcons’ official website, Heinlen worked with general manager Ian Cunningham in Philadelphia.
“It was there Heinlen first crossed paths with new Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham, who was the director of college scouting for the Eagles at the time,” wrote team reporter Tori McElhaney. “For the last four seasons, Heinlen has worked closely with some members of the Falcons’ current coaching staff, too, as he was a Southwest area scout for the Cleveland Browns.”
The Falcons have now assembled most of their front office and coaching staff. The next stop is free agency, which officially begins on March 11.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Atlanta Falcons name Shawn Heinlen director of college scouting