The Jacksonville Jaguars have their eyes set on the new coordinators they will be adding to their staff. For the defense it will be Baltimore Ravens defensive line coach Joe Cullen, who will be making his second stop in Jacksonville.
Upon hearing the news Thursday, not only were fans happy about the move but many of his former players from his first run in Jacksonville also praised the hire, like Austen Lane and Terrence Knighton.
Jaguars made the right hire. Joe Cullen is goated
— Terrance Knighton (@MisterRoast98) January 21, 2021
I saved every note, philosophy, scheme, and install I ever encountered during my time in the NFL. Since I’ll be covering a Joe Cullen led defense in Jacksonville, I guess I’ll start back at Chapter 1. pic.twitter.com/kzmdfeRdYg
— Austen Lane (@A_Train_92) January 21, 2021
Lane also spoke with Jags Wire about the potential hiring of Cullen before it happened in our latest episode of the “Bleav in the Jags Podcast” and praised his former defensive line coach highly. We’ll be releasing that episode early next week.
CBS analyst Pete Prisco, who is quite familiar with the Jags, too, praise the move as well.
Joe Cullen is a really good hire for Urban Meyer. Heck of a coach.
— Pete Prisco (@PriscoCBS) January 21, 2021
Cullen spent the last five seasons as the Ravens’ defensive line coach. While in Baltimore, he helped defensive coordinator Don Martindale to field a solid defense that ranked seventh, twelfth, first, fourth, and seventh, respectively, since 2016. He also helped groom defensive linemen like Michael Pierce, Brandon Williams, and Timmy Jernigan along the way.
While Cullen isn’t a coach with defensive coordinator experience, it’s clear his promotion is something players have felt is long overdue. Sure, there will be growing pains at the beginning with such a young team, but Cullen is the type to stress the minor details, which often pays off over time.
