The Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints still have one of the NFL’s fiercest and pettiest rivalries.
With the Falcons prying away Saints defensive assistant Ryan Nielsen for their defensive coordinator vacancy, New Orleans defensive end Cameron Jordan could only offer so many congratulations to his former coach.
Nielsen coached the Saints defensive line from 2017 through 2022 and was promoted to co-defensive coordinator this past season.
In that span, the Saints have had one of the more reliable defensive fronts in the NFL, boasting talents like Jordan, defensive end Marcus Davenport, defensive tackle David Onyemata, defensive tackle Shy Tuttle and outside linebacker Kaden Elliss.
Nielsen will now go help the Falcons, who have struggled mightily with their defensive front for years. As a longtime Falcons troll, Jordan can only be so thrilled.
Ryan to Dc job was inevitable. Top tier DL coach in terms of developing pass rush and emphasizing technique on run and gap integrity. 😔🫡 wish him the semi-best as he willingly went to the Failcons… happy-ish for him pic.twitter.com/la3TaOW4id
— cameron jordan (@camjordan94) January 28, 2023
While certainly praising his former position coach’s abilities, it doesn’t come as a surprise for the Saints defensive end to still find a way to joke at the Falcons as he can.
Jordan might just be “happy-ish” now, but the Falcons will have to hope he’s “sad-ish” to see Nielsen potentially get Atlanta’s defense back on track.
