New Orleans Saints defensive lineman Cameron Jordan is “happy-ish” about his former coach Ryan Nielsen going to a division rival.
Nielsen was hired as the Atlanta Falcons’ new defensive coordinator on Friday after a successful six-year stint as defensive line coach in New Orleans. He was promoted to assistant head coach in 2021 and co-defensive coordinator last season.
Jordan, however, isn’t overly enthusiastic about Nielsen’s departure – the coach helped morph the defensive lineman into a perennial Pro Bowler.
“Ryan to Dc job was inevitable. Top tier DL coach in terms of developing pass rush and emphasizing technique on run and gap integrity,” Jordan tweeted. “Wish him the semi-best as he willingly went to the Failcons [sic].”
The 43-year-old coach played defensive tackle at USC but never played in an NFL game.
After coaching at colleges like Ole Miss and NC State for over a decade, he landed his first NFL gig with the Saints. And in New Orleans, Nielsen coached a defensive line that’s recorded 281 sacks since 2017 – the second-most in the NFL during that span.
Now with the Falcons, Nielsen will try to reconstruct an Atlanta defense that finished the season No. 27 in yards allowed and usher in a new era of winning football for the Falcons.
Nielsen will fill the shoes of Dean Pees, who retired from coaching this past season.