After a successful one-year stint as the defensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons, Ryan Nielsen has moved on to Jacksonville. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Monday that the Jaguars are expected to hire Nielsen for their defensive coordinator vacancy.
The Falcons took a major step forward under Nielsen in 2023 but his future came into question once the team fired head coach Arthur Smith. After initially blocking Nielsen from taking interviews, the team changed its mind and allowed him to meet with Jacksonville last week.
While it’s not a total surprise to see Nielsen move on, it is somewhat odd that the Falcons didn’t even give him an interview for their head coach vacancy. Fans on Twitter were sad to see Nielsen go.