Doug Pederson Explains Why the Jaguars Hired Ryan Nielsen

The Jacksonville Jaguars officially announced the hire of Ryan Nielsen as their new defensive coordinator on Monday, two weeks after they began their search for their newest defensive leader.

"We're excited to welcome Ryan and have him lead our defense moving forward," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said in a statement. "Ryan is an outstanding football coach and his defenses with the Falcons and Saints were always fundamentally sound in both their physicality and concepts."

Nielsen, who just spent his first year as defensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons, was one of the Jaguars' early targets before the Falcons blocked their interview request. Last week, the Falcons lifted the restriction, ultimately leading to Nielsen becoming Pederson's new defensive coordinator.

Nielsen, 44, just finished his first year with the Falcons as defensive coordinator, with the Falcons finishing No. 18 in points allowed, No. 12 in EPA/Play, No. 5 in success rate, and No. 1 in rushing EPA/Play.

Nielsen has been in the NFL since 2017, when the New Orleans Saints hired him from NC State. After four years as the Saints' defensive line coach, Nielsen was promoted to assistant head coach in 2021 and then co-defensive coordinator in 2022. Nielsen was also looked at by LSU as a defensive coordinator candidate in 2021.

"He has the rare ability to both teach and connect with his players. He builds lasting, two-way relationships predicated on trust. He establishes accountability, first from himself, then the players," Pederson said. "What I've most admired about Ryan's defenses -- and we saw this in London back in October -- was their shared intensity and enthusiasm to get the job done and impact the game."

The Jaguars started looking for a new defensive coordinator after firing former coordinator Mike Caldwell two weeks ago. The Jaguars also fired seven other defensive assistants, leaving only three of Pederson's 11 defensive staff members left.