The Athletic envisions big jump from Jaguars defense under Nielsen
Could Jacksonville’s hiring of Ryan Nielsen to coordinate the Jaguars’ defense propel the unit toward potentially elite heights? Mike Sando of The Athletic isn’t ruling out the possibility.
Breaking down his favorite offseason move by every NFL team this year, Sando highlighted Nielsen’s appointment as Jacksonville’s best.
Of the 32 transactions analyzed, seven included coaches, although Seattle’s was split between new head coach Mike Macdonald’s impact on the Seahawks defense and the club’s trade for quarterback Sam Howell. Nielsen’s hiring by Jacksonville and Mike Zimmer’s hiring by Dallas were the only defensive coordinator highlights.
Ryan Nielsen’s addition as defensive coordinator stands out. Nielsen made his coordinating debut with the Falcons last season. His defense ranked 10th in EPA [expected points added] per play, the Falcons’ highest ranking since at least 2000, per TruMedia. That was up from 29th in 2022. There’s less room for improvement in Jacksonville, where the Jaguars ranked 11th last season, but Nielsen is inheriting more talent than he had in Atlanta. This could become a top-five unit.
The Jaguars brought Nielsen in after firing former Jacksonville defensive coordinator, Mike Caldwell, and several other defensive staff members in early January.
Jacksonville ranked No. 22 in total defense (342.8 yards allowed per game) in 2023, slightly improved from its No. 24 (353.3) finish in 2022 but still in the bottom half of the NFL.
The Jaguars’ 21.8 points per game allowed in 2023 ranked league average, standing at No. 16. But the unit allowed opponents to eclipse that mark in five of the last six weeks of the campaign, including three 30+ point showings. Jacksonville went 1-5 in that stretch and fumbled its postseason positioning.
While Jacksonville might have fielded a respectable defense relative to EPA in 2023, as Sando noted, the Jaguars were aggressive in reconstructing the unit this offseason beyond acquiring Nielsen, lending credence to Sando’s projection.
The Jaguars signed three projected starting defenders during free agency: Former San Francisco defensive lineman Arik Armstead, former Baltimore cornerback Ronald Darby and former Green Bay safety Darnell Savage.
They also added several experienced depth pieces in former Tennessee safety Terrell Edmunds, former Atlanta cornerback Tre Flowers and former Tennessee edge rusher Trevis Gipson.
Five of Jacksonville’s nine 2024 NFL draft selections were defenders, including two defensive tackles, Maason Smith and Jordan Jefferson; two cornerbacks, Jarrian Jones and Deantre Prince; and edge rusher Myles Cole.
Perhaps most importantly, the team locked franchise edge rusher, Josh Allen, in on the biggest contract in franchise history between free agency and the draft. He signed a five-year, $141.5 million extension with the Jaguars in April after accumulating 17.5 sacks with Jacksonville in 2023.
