Skip to main content
New Orleans Saints
Advertising

Saints Coaches Roster | New Orleans Saints | NewOrleansSaints.com

Ryan Nielsen

2019 New Orleans Saints
All Images Copyright Michael C. Hebert

Ryan Nielsen

Co-Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line

College: USC

Hometown: Simi Valley, CA

Biography

In his sixth season in charge of the team's defensive line, Ryan Nielsen also served as an assistant head coach in 2021 and in 2022 will add co-defensive coordinator duties. Nielsen has a history of developing players on the professional and college levels and brings abundant experience to the New Orleans defense. Since 2017, New Orleans' 233 sacks ranked third in the league, seven different defensive linemen have produced multi-sack games and the New Orleans defense went an NFL-record 55 regular season and postseason games without allowing a 100-yard rusher between the 2017-20 campaigns and has the longest current streak at 22 consecutive contests. During his tenure in New Orleans, the Saints have ranked in the top ten in sacks four of five seasons and have finished in the top five in run defense the last four campaigns.

Advertising