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Gene Frenette: Jaguars defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen may be key offseason acquisition
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- Gene Frenette: Jaguars defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen may be key offseason acquisition
When you consider the most dynamic moves the Jacksonville Jaguars made this offseason, the top acquisition just might be somebody who doesn't wear a uniform or helmet.
No disrespect to Arik Armstead , Mitch Morse , Ronald Darby , Devin Duvernay or first-round draft pick Brian Thomas Jr., but do not overlook the potential impact of the Jaguars hiring Ryan Nielsen as their defensive coordinator.
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On a team with so much new blood, how the Jaguars evolve as a defense under Nielsen could decide whether they take back the AFC South crown from the Houston Texans or at least reach the postseason as a wild-card entry.
The Jacksonville Jaguars' hiring of Ryan Nielsen, seen here giving instructions to rookie draft pick Maason Smith (94), might be the team's shrewdest move of the offseason.
Gene Frenette: Jaguars' investment in playoff experience may help them reclaim AFC South title
All this is purely speculative since the Jaguars just wrapped up minicamp Wednesday and have yet to don pads on Nielsen's watch. Plus, it's June, a time of year when glowing remarks flow freely about every facet of an NFL team's operation, even those coming off last-place finishes.
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Now maybe this is too impulsive a judgment, but there's an unmistakable vibe from players and coaches about a Nielsen defense that last year's epic collapse of a 1-5 finish (after an 8-3 start) will never happen with him running the show.
This isn't about digging on predecessor Mike Caldwell because it's mostly on the players to execute game plans, especially in decisive moments.
But Nielsen brings the right kind of experience — a solid resume coordinating two NFL defenses and an impressive defensive line background — plus a jolt of intensity that appears to be precisely what the Jaguars need right now.
"He's a fiery dude, man," said first-year safety Darnell Savage , who came to the Jaguars as a free agent after five seasons with the Green Bay Packers . "That's a guy you want to go to war with. He brings the same energy every day. He checks us on that. When we walk through the building, you can't be moping or any of that stuff. It's just him, it's just who he is.
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"His defenses get after it. We can feel it just sitting in his office talking to him."
Band of brothers
Jacksonville Jaguars' safety/nickel back Darnell Savage (6) was signed during the offseason to revamp a secondary that first-year coordinator Ryan Nielsen wants to be a faster, more physical unit.
After Jaguars' coach Doug Pederson did his research on Nielsen and a handful of other candidates who interviewed for the DC job, there was little doubt the 45-year-old former USC defensive tackle wanted to bring some familiar faces with him to Jacksonville.
One of the big questions any NFL head coach vetting a coordinator candidate asks, providing there are staff openings on his side of the ball, is who they have in mind as potential assistants.
In Nielsen's case, he and three defensive coaches the Jaguars wound up hiring are about as bonded as it gets in the profession.
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They think of each other as sort of a Jaguars' package deal, starting with defensive backs coach Kris Richard, a former USC teammate of Nielsen and the New Orleans Saints' co-defensive coordinator with him in 2022 under Dennis Allen. The previous year, they were defensive assistants in New Orleans during Sean Payton's final season.
The other two Nielsen connections are true proteges, defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett and defensive assistant/cornerbacks coach Cory Robinson, both of whom played for their new boss in college.
Nielsen coached Garrett, a defensive lineman, for three seasons (2005-07) at Ole Miss. After moving to Central Connecticut State in 2008 to be the defensive coordinator, Nielsen coached Robinson, a cornerback, for two seasons.
The playing and coaching careers of four Pederson defensive hires are all intertwined. It's a brotherhood with deep lasting ties.
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Robinson worked directly with Richard and Nielsen in New Orleans. Garrett reconnected with Nielsen after he left a banking career to get into coaching, first on the high school and college level before landing his initial NFL gig with the Cleveland Browns (2021-22), where he coached one of the league's best pass-rushers in Myles Garrett (no relation).
"The important part of that relationship [with Nielsen] is it went past the years I played for him into the years of being a D-line coach," said Garrett. "Me having him as a resource, he helped me to develop as a coach throughout those years. I wouldn't be the coach I am without that relationship over the years."
Each of these coaching journeys somehow found a way to Jacksonville. It has quickly turned into one big, happy reunion.
When asked about Richard and their relationship, Robinson replied: "As tight as you can get. Kris has been an awesome influence on me as a man personally, as well as a coach. I tell people, I've been around some great coaches, but single-handedly, the best football coach I've been around.
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"I mean that. The way his mind works and operates is pretty special to be a part of and to watch."
Will coaching bond elevate defense?
Jacksonville Jaguars outside linebacker Josh Allen (41) thinks the chemistry between coordinator Ryan Nielsen and several coaches on the staff that he's plenty familiar with will pay dividends for the defense in 2024.
This mutual admiration society among Nielsen and Jaguars' assistants who are part of his inner circle makes for a heartwarming story line, but will that translate into a better defense in 2024?
The Jaguars faded badly last season, especially on defense, where stopping the run and getting off the field on third down became huge issues.
It prompted Pederson to dismiss Caldwell and most of his assistants. The Jaguars beefed up their personnel by signing critical free agents like Armstead, Darby and Savage, as well as drafting tackles Maason Smith and Jordan Jefferson and FSU cornerback Jarrian Jones.
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Nielsen will be entrusted to make all the pieces fit, making sure on-field communication is on point and putting the players in favorable matchups.
So far, none of the coaches have dropped hints about the Jaguars' scheme or how certain players like pass-rusher Travon Walker will be used.
Nielsen and his trusted assistants have all uttered the same preseason message, about focusing on teaching and technique without giving any specific scheme details.
The defense's best player, Josh Allen , has had limited time with Nielsen because he spent all of OTAs training out in Arizona . But from what he saw for two weeks in April of strength and conditioning, plus feedback from teammates, Allen thinks the familiarity among key members of the new defensive staff is a benefit.
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"Chemistry is everything," said Allen. "So if you have years together or if you know a guy, it's just like teammates, the better we know each other, the more chemistry you're going to have, the more we can push each other."
It's evident Pederson, miffed at how the defense fell apart when adversity hit in the 2023 homestretch, believes Nielsen's bond with several of his assistants will pay dividends.
Combined with signing and drafting players more tailored to fit the kind of defense Nielsen intends to play, the Jaguars feel emboldened that quarterback Trevor Lawrence won't have to be constantly forced to win shootout-type games.
"I think it just comes down to the trust," Pederson said. "We have to trust each other as a staff, we have to trust our players, and players have to trust coaches. They being the players, have to know that the coaches have their best interest and they have their backs. I think that's where that cohesiveness comes from.
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"I played for [ Kansas City Chiefs coach] Andy Reid in Green Bay , same thing. I didn't play for him in college, but obviously in the pros and then you end up working for him [in Kansas City]. There's a trust, a bond, and a relationship there. I think all those things can benefit your staff."
Nielsen's history a good sign
Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen coaches during an organized team activity Tuesday, May 28, 2024 at EverBank Stadium’s Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla.
The buzzwords about a Nielsen defense — that it's fast, aggressive, physical and displays an intense desire to inflict pain — are not all that different from what is relayed to the media when a coordinator gets to a new place of employment.
"We want to be an attacking and aggressive style of defense that runs to the ball, that goes and hunts the ball, just put the pressure on the offense," Nielsen said in his first media availability in Jacksonville in February.
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It sounds like a lot of coach-speak, but what should have Jaguars' fans stoked about Nielsen is how he's forged his own identity as a coordinator that gets results.
Nielsen lauded the collaboration he had last year with his staff as the Atlanta Falcons ' defensive coordinator, though his tenure ended after one season when a tepid offense was the main culprit in head coach Arthur Smith getting fired.
Nielsen's defense in Atlanta tied for 11th in total yards (321.1) allowed and was fourth in red-zone TDs allowed (45.3 percent), an area where the Jaguars struggled mightily in the homestretch.
During Nielsen's time in New Orleans (2017-22), he coached on a defense that accumulated 281.0 sacks, the second-most in the NFL. The Saints were ranked third in opponents' rushing per game over that span.
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The book on Nielsen is that his background as someone who cut his coaching teeth in the trenches has served him well. Both Pederson and GM Trent Baalke have said repeatedly how imperative it is for the team to be more physical. That has been the tenet of a Nielsen defense.
Robinson's time with Nielsen as a player in college, then three years in New Orleans, tells him the Jaguars have the right guy pushing the buttons.
"We're going to be a prepared defense," said Robinson. "Ryan, he leaves no stone unturned, just countless hours of tape, film study, understanding the offensive systems in the league and how the front and the coverage all work together. He sees it from a holistic standpoint.
"We're going to be aggressive, fly around and play hard. You're going to see all those same qualities. That's what you see in every group across his coaching career. . . . When you turn on the tape, a Ryan Nielsen-led defense is going to play harder for longer than the opponent."
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Nielsen must still prove he can transform the 2024 Jaguars' defense into a team strength. There's little doubt he has a lot to fix beyond the pass-rushing combo of Allen and Walker.
But given his pedigree and how the Jaguars have revamped the defense to fit Nielsen's attacking style of play, it's a good bet he will ultimately deliver a quality unit.
Hiring Ryan Nielsen essentially went under the NFL radar. Just wait. It could be the best thing that happened in the Jaguars' offseason.
Gfrenette@jacksonville.com : (904) 359-4540; Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @genefrenette
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Ryan Nielsen: Defensive coordinator, staff should upgrade 2024 Jaguars
