Jaguars Hire Ryan Nielsen, Leaving Falcons with Defensive Uncertainty Yet Again
The Atlanta Falcons will have their third defensive coordinator in as many seasons entering 2024, as Ryan Nielsen has departed for the same role with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Nielsen's exit is a byproduct of the Falcons' decision to fire head coach Arthur Smith following a disappointing 7-10 season that ended with four losses in the final five games.
But Atlanta's struggles can hardly be attributed to Nielsen, who guided the defense to its best statistical season in over five years.
The Falcons finished the season with 42 sacks, eclipsing their 39 total sacks accumulated in the previous two years combined. They recorded 98 quarterback hits this year after just 69 last season.
Atlanta ranked No. 11 in total yards allowed per game at 321.1 yards, No. 8 in pass defense at 202.9 yards, No. 20 in run defense at 118.2 yards and No. 18 in points allowed with 21.9 points.
Each of these numbers took severe hits in the final two games as the Falcons were outscored 85-34 ... but still marked significant improvement.
Last season, Atlanta finished in 27th (362.1 yards), 25th (231.9 passing yards), 23rd (130.2 rushing yards) and 23rd (22.7 points) in those same categories.
Jun 14, 2023; Flowery Branch, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen answers questions for the media during minicamp at IBM Performance Field.
Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
That said, Nielsen's arrival isn't the lone reason for Atlanta's defensive strides, and his departure doesn't necessarily override the foundation that's been established.
The Falcons invested heavily in their defense during free agency and the draft last season and received considerable early returns.
Safety Jessie Bates III earned his first Pro Bowl nod and led the team with 132 tackles and six interceptions, both career highs.
Linebacker Kaden Elliss ranked second in tackles with 122. He led the Falcons with 11 tackles for loss, followed right behind by defensive end Calais Campbell (10) and outside linebacker Bud Dupree (eight).
Campbell and Dupree tied for the team lead with 6.5 sacks, with second year outside linebacker Arnold Ebiketie taking a jump in production en route to a career-best six sacks.
Defensive tackle David Onyemata tallied four sacks, six tackles for loss and 16 quarterback hits, the last of which ranked second on Atlanta's defense despite him missing three games.
Rookie defensive end Zach Harrison found his groove late, posting three sacks and four tackles for loss in his final three contests.
Other than Ebiketie, each of these players were new additions. Other than Campbell and Dupree, each is under contract for next season - and the year after.
There's also a pair of second-year linebackers in Nate Landman and Troy Andersen, cornerback A.J. Terrell and two promising rookie defensive backs - DeMarcco Hellams and Clark Phillips III - filling out Atlanta's defense.
It's a young unit filled with talent - but one that just lost its conductor.
"Ryan is intense," Dupree said this summer. "He's a great guy, though. He knows a ton about football. He's always trying to squeeze something out of the game for you so you can have a greater effect on the game. I like him as a coach, one of the better coaches in this league.
"Being here with him, I have so much respect for him."
Still, there were times of trouble for Atlanta's defense under Nielsen.
On four different occasions - vs. the Minnesota Vikings, at the Arizona Cardinals, vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and at the Carolina Panthers - the Falcons' defense allowed game-losing scores on the final drive with less than one minute to play.
Against the Tennessee Titans, Atlanta allowed rookie quarterback Will Levis to throw four touchdowns in his NFL debut. The week after - at home vs. Minnesota - Josh Dobbs found the endzone three times despite having just five days to learn the playbook after being traded from the Cardinals.
In a sense, Atlanta's defense should've taken the stride it did this season, freshly stocked with talent and playing the NFL's easiest schedule per opponent record.
But Nielsen's blitz disguises and schematic variations played a central part in helping the unit reach a new level - and his value to the Falcons was recognized by Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson.
"We're excited to welcome Ryan and have him lead our defense moving forward," 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."
Pederson's offense played against Nielsen's defense on Oct. 1, taking a 23-7 victory but posting only 300 total yards of offense, nearly 40 yards below season average.
For Pederson, the matchup helped reaffirm his prior beliefs - and the more he dug into Nielsen, the more he liked.
"He has the rare ability to both teach and connect with his players," Pederson said. "He builds lasting, two-way relationships predicated on trust. He establishes accountability, first from himself, then the players.
"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 Falcons initially denied the Jaguars' request to interview Nielsen but later allowed it, with Atlanta instead putting its undivided attention towards its head coaching search.
It's worth noting there were internal murmurs about Nielsen potentially leaving the Falcons at season's end, regardless of head coach Arthur Smith's job status, but it's uncertain how advanced those talks became.
Nonetheless, Atlanta's left searching for another defensive coordinator. It's possible this would've happened anyways depending on who's hired as the next head coach, but it's now official.
With a new defensive coordinator comes the potential for a new scheme, and thus the potential for regression due to the fit of individual players in the new-look defense.
Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot committed financial capital to players who fit Nielsen. Of course, some are scheme versatile - but the introduction of a new coordinator comes with uncertain territory.
Still, some things remain true: Atlanta's defense took a step forward and has several core pieces returning. It also entered the offseason on a low note, struggling to stop opponents down the stretch.
Whoever becomes the Falcons' next defensive coordinator has lots to work with - but also plenty to figure out, and Nielsen-sized shoes to fill in terms of player relations and respect.
"Getting the chance to learn from such a great coach and person helps in the long term," Onyemata said this summer. "It helps in the long term of a person's career, and it just helps your game way better."
Atlanta's defenders loved Nielsen. Evidently, so does Pederson - and with uncertainty trundling above him, Nielsen took advantage ... but now cements the Falcons with uncertainty of their own in an already strenuous time.
