The Jacksonville Jaguars have garnered a lot of appreciation for appointing Ryan Nielsen as defensive coordinator earlier this month. Some of his former players explained why this week. Inside linebacker Demario Davis of the New Orleans Saints, who worked with Nielsen for several years as the defensive line coach and subsequently co-defensive coordinator in New Orleans, is one of the athletes who has shown gratitude to Nielsen. “Coach Nielsen is an excellent defensive thinker and coach. improved our defense, particularly from a front-seven perspective,” Davis said to Florida Times-Union reporter Juston Lewis during the Pro Bowl in Orlando.

“Not to disparage anyone, but I don’t think there’s a better coach in the game. Anyone who has played on his defensive line just understands from a technique standpoint, from an intensity standpoint, and from a detail standpoint.” Before the Falcons denied the Jaguars’ request for an interview, Nielsen was one of the team’s initial targets. Nielsen recently completed his first season as the defensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons eventually waived the limitation, which became Nielsen Pederson’s new defensive coordinator. After the Falcons ended No. 18 in points allowed, No. 12 in EPA/Play, No. 5 in success rate, and No. 1 in rushing EPA/Play, 44-year-old Nielsen concluded his debut season in that role.

Since the New Orleans Saints recruited Nielsen out of NC State in 2017, he has been a member of the NFL. Nielsen served as the defensive line coach for the Saints for four years before being elevated to associate head coach in 2021 and co-defensive coordinator in 2022. In 2021, Nielsen was again considered by LSU as a potential defensive coordinator. “Well, there will be a change conceptually. It won’t always have an impact on the kind of employees we seek. The Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke stated last month, “What’s neat is the preparation that Ryan had put in to get ready for the interview, knowing our roster the way he did, talking through how he sees those pieces being utilized in his defense.” “That was quite remarkable, particularly for a man whose family was vacationing at Disneyland when we pulled him up here.” Simply said, everything about him—his demeanor, his command of the space, his rapport with the group present, his attention to detail, the reciprocal relationships he’s built, and the fact that everyone you speak with has nothing but good things to say about him—was impressive. Everything you heard comes to life when you bring him in. I’m eager to work with him and am incredibly excited about the hire.

The day after the 2023 season concluded, the Jaguars fired previous defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell and began searching for a new one. Just three of Pederson’s eleven defensive staff members remain after the Jaguars fired seven additional defensive assistants.

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