The Kansas City Chiefs are making some changes to their coaching staff on the defensive side of the ball.
As first reported by Florida Times-Union columnist Gene Frenette, the Chiefs are hiring former Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Joe Cullen as their defensive line coach. Cullen replaces third-year DL coach Brendan Daly, who will stay on the defensive staff in Kansas City replacing Matt House as linebackers coach.
The team announced the two moves on Friday afternoon.
We have named Joe Cullen our Defensive Line Coach and Brendan Daly will coach Linebackers. pic.twitter.com/PQ1oz6c0wR
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) February 4, 2022
Cullen spent one season as the defensive coordinator in Jacksonville under recently fired head coach Urban Meyer. In a forgettable 2021 NFL season, Cullen was what our friends at Jaguars Wire considered a positive as he helped their defense take a step in the right direction. Star Jags pass-rusher Josh Allen even lobbied for his return.
Prior to his time with the Jaguars, Cullen spent five seasons as the defensive line coach with the Baltimore Ravens under former Andy Reid disciple John Harbaugh. Cullen helped groom and develop linemen like Brandon Williams, Justin Madubuike, Michael Pierce and Brent Urban. It would seem he was credited with a lot of the success that Baltimore had stopping the run during his time with the team.
Traditionally, Cullen has worked with a lot of 3-4 defensive schemes. Spagnuolo’s scheme, of course, is a 4-3 under with four down linemen. It’ll be interesting to see how Cullen’s approach changes in a new scheme.