The Atlanta Falcons had several quality options to choose from for their defensive coordinator vacancy, but they ultimately felt Saints co-defensive coordinator/DL coach Ryan Nielsen was the best fit to replace Dean Pees.
Nielsen wasn’t the most experienced of the potential candidates, but he may very well have the blueprint to fix Atlanta’s putrid pass rush.
The Falcons finished with 21 sacks in 2022, and just 18 in 2021. That’s not to say the team hasn’t made strides with some of its young talent, but 39 sacks combined over two 17-game seasons is enough evidence to see that change was needed.
Nielsen took over as defensive line coach in New Orleans in 2017 and the results were almost immediate. After ranking near the bottom of the NFL from 2012-2016, the Saints ranked top five in total sacks in two of Nielsen’s first three seasons with the team.
The success of the Saints’ pass rush didn’t stop there, though. The team has now finished in the top 10 in total sacks for five straight seasons. In 2022, New Orleans tied for fourth in the NFL with 54 sacks.
Defensive end Cameron Jordan has flourished under Nielsen. The seven-time All-Pro seemed to have mixed feelings about losing a position coach he greatly respects.
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
“Top tier DL coach in terms of developing pass rush and emphasizing technique on run and gap integrity,” Jordan wrote on Twitter Friday night. “Wish him the semi-best as he willingly went to the Failcons… happy-ish for him.”
It won’t be easy to fix the Falcons’ pass rush, but at least they’ve attempted to hire someone with a proven track record of getting production in an area that has plagued this team for the last five seasons.
