The Atlanta Falcons said they were going to take their time finding a new defensive coordinator, and that’s exactly what they’ve done thus far.
After interviewing Brian Flores last week, the team interviewed Saints co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen on Tuesday, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported.
The #Falcons interviewed #Saints co-defensive coordinator/DL coach Ryan Nielsen for their DC job today, sources say. They’re coming down the home stretch of their search.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 24, 2023
Nielsen, 43, joined the Saints as the defensive line coach in 2017 when Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot was still in the front office. In 2021, Nielsen was promoted to assistant head coach and then named co-defensive coordinator in 2022.
The Falcons must replace Dean Pees, who retired over the offseason after serving two seasons as Atlanta’s defensive coordinator.
