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ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Sunday that former New York Jets and Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan interviewed for the Denver Broncos’ defensive coordinator job on Saturday. This comes after last week’s reports that new head coach Sean Payton had targeted Ryan as a top candidate for the position. Former Broncos head coach Vance Joseph is also interviewed for the DC job, meeting with the team on Friday.
Currently serving as an NFL analyst for ESPN, Ryan has been out of coaching since 2016, where he was fired as the head coach of the Bills with just one game left in the season. A colorful personality and son of legendary defensive mastermind Buddy Ryan, Rex’s notoriety exploded in 2009 and 2010, where he led the Jets to back-to-back trips to the AFC Championship Game. However, he was shown the door after missing the postseason for the next four years and didn’t fare any better in his two seasons in Buffalo.
If hired, he’ll be tasked with upgrading a defense that was considered middle of the road throughout the team’s miserable 5-12 campaign in 2022.