Ryan Nielsen Hired as Jaguars DC by Doug Pedersen; Served in Same Role for Falcons

The Jacksonville Jaguars have their new defensive coordinator.

Jacksonville confirmed Monday that it had hired Ryan Nielsen as the defensive coordinator. He joins the team after spending the previous two seasons as the Atlanta Falcons' defensive coordinator.

Adam Schefter of ESPN first reported the hire.

He takes over for Mike Caldwell, who was fired following the season. Before Nielsen's stint with the Atlanta Falcons, he spent six years on the New Orleans Saints defensive staff in numerous roles, including co-defensive coordinator.

The Falcons reportedly denied the Jaguars request to interview initially before eventually granting the request. He was on Arthur Smith's staff, who was fired as the Falcons head coach following the 2023 NFL season.

This allows the next Falcons coach to bring in their own defensive coordinator and also allows Nielsen to take on a new challenge in Jacksonville. While Atlanta missed the playoffs in both of Nielsen's seasons as defensive coordinator, the unit was ranked in the top half of the league.

He will now attempt to help a Jaguars defense that was not a plus in the 2023 season. The unit ranked 22nd in the NFL this past season and notably surrendered 29.2 points and 146.8 rushing yards across the team's final five losses in the season. These came within the team's final six games and was a major contributor to Jacksonvilles late-season collapse that saw it miss the playoffs with a 9-8 record despite an 8-3 start.