Atlanta Falcons To Hire Bryan Cox As Defensive Line Coach

November 25, 2012; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive front seven coach Bryan Cox during the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Shortly after hiring Mike Tice to coach the offensive line, the Atlanta Falcons seem to have found there defensive line coach in former Tampa Bay coach Bryan Cox. D. Orlando Ledbetter broke the news earlier on Twitter:

Cox began his NFL career as a player back in the 90’s. He had a twelve year playing career as a linebacker with five different teams from 1991 to 2002. Several years after his playing career was over, he got a job with the New York Jets as an Assistant Defensive Line coach. He filled that position from 2006-2008 and then moved on to coach the Cleveland Browns’ defensive line from 2009-2010. In 2011, he jumped over to the Miami Dolphins as a “pass rush” coach, and from 2012 to 2013, he was the Defensive Front Seven coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

So, he’s got some experience under his belt, but it’s not a ton and he hasn’t stayed in one place for very long. However, on at least two occasions, Cox left at the same time that his head coach was fired or also left (Jets and Tampa Bay). So, we might not want to read into that too much.

We’ll probably have to wait and see what Cox does with the Falcons this season to really get an eye for what he can do. The most I can find on him around the web is that he is a tough guy who is known to help the development of young players.

Either way, I find it a good thing that the Falcons have already addressed their offensive and defensive line coaches. Now comes the hard part: finding and developing good players.