Tag: DL coach

Chiefs hiring former Jaguars DC Joe Cullen as defensive line coach

The #Chiefs are making two changes on the defensive coaching staff, including hiring former #Jaguars DC Joe Cullen as defensive line coach.

The Kansas City Chiefs are making some changes to their coaching staff on the defensive side of the ball.

As first reported by Florida Times-Union columnist Gene Frenette, the Chiefs are hiring former Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Joe Cullen as their defensive line coach. Cullen replaces third-year DL coach Brendan Daly, who will stay on the defensive staff in Kansas City replacing Matt House as linebackers coach.

The team announced the two moves on Friday afternoon.

Cullen spent one season as the defensive coordinator in Jacksonville under recently fired head coach Urban Meyer. In a forgettable 2021 NFL season, Cullen was what our friends at Jaguars Wire considered a positive as he helped their defense take a step in the right direction. Star Jags pass-rusher Josh Allen even lobbied for his return.

Prior to his time with the Jaguars, Cullen spent five seasons as the defensive line coach with the Baltimore Ravens under former Andy Reid disciple John Harbaugh. Cullen helped groom and develop linemen like Brandon Williams, Justin Madubuike, Michael Pierce and Brent Urban. It would seem he was credited with a lot of the success that Baltimore had stopping the run during his time with the team.

Traditionally, Cullen has worked with a lot of 3-4 defensive schemes. Spagnuolo’s scheme, of course, is a 4-3 under with four down linemen. It’ll be interesting to see how Cullen’s approach changes in a new scheme.

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What does Brendan Daly expect from Chiefs DE Breeland Speaks in Year 3?

In Brendan Daly’s experience as a defensive line coach, Year 3 is the one where players define themselves.

Kansas City Chiefs defensive line coach Brendan Daly has some lofty expectations for Breeland Speaks in 2020.

Speaks was the Chiefs’ top draft pick in the 2018 NFL draft and he hasn’t quite lived up to the expectations attached to his draft status. In 2018, he was forced to play out of position as a 3-4 outside linebacker. This season was supposed to be a fresh start, but he suffered a knee injury that ended his season before it began. He was also suspended for four games during the course of his time on injured reserve. Now, Breeland will get another crack at turning things around.

“Breeland has done a nice job in terms of his rehab, in terms of working post-surgery, he’s had some good time in terms of recovery,” Daly told reporters on Thursday. “We’ll see. I’ve got high expectations for him. The third year, I’ve found over the course of my career, is a year that guys kind of define themselves in a lot of instances. Hopefully, we’re going to see that out of Breeland. I’ve got great anticipation and hope for what we’re going to see out of him when we can get back on the field.”

There’s a lot of questions that remain unanswered for Speaks. He faces some stiff competition from the likes of Taco Charlton, Mike Danna and Tim Ward. If he doesn’t make the type of progress that Daly is expecting in Year 3, he could be looking at one of those players taking his spot in the lineup.

At the same time, there’s also plenty of reason to be optimistic that this is the year that Speaks will be able to put everything together. It’s his second year under Steve Spagnuolo and Daly, working in a scheme he’s better suited for. He had a promising 2019 preseason before suffering his injury. If he can return to full health, motivated and in shape, there’s no reason why he can’t reach and perhaps exceed Daly’s expectations.

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