The Buffalo Bills hired former Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen as a senior defensive assistant, head coach Sean McDermott told reporters on Monday.
Nielsen, 45, served one year as the Falcons defensive coordinator in 2023. While the defense appeared to be making progress, Nielsen did not survive head coach Arthur Smith‘s firing after the season.
In 2024, he took the Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator gig.
Bills HC Sean McDermott says they hired Ryan Nielsen as senior defensive assistant who will work with defensive line.
McDermott says they are interviewing to hire a new strength & conditioning coach. They moved on from former S&C coach Eric Siano, who was hired by Jaguars.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) February 24, 2025
The Falcons have gone through defensive coordinators like hotcakes in recent years. Dean Pees took over for Jeff Ulbrich in 2021. Ryan Nielsen replaced Pees in 2023. Jimmy Lake replaced Nielsen in 2024, and Ulbrich is set to take over again in 2025.
Atlanta’s defense regressed under Lake last season and head coach Raheem Morris decided to get the 2020 band back together. Ulbrich served as the interim head coach of the New York Jets for most of the 2024 season.
Defensively, the Falcons have 17 players set to enter free agency in March and don’t have a lot of space to bring in outside talent. The draft will likely be the team’s primary source of talent in 2025.
Atlanta currently holds the No. 15 overall pick in the draft with the 2025 Scouting Combine set to begin in Indianapolis.