Bills coach Rex Ryan will enlist a familiar face in an attempt to remedy the team's underachieving defensive unit.
Ryan has hired his twin brother, Rob, as the team's assistant head coach/defense.
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— Kimberley A. Martin (@KMart_LI) January 11, 2016Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News reported that Bills defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman and assistant coach/running backs Anthony Lynn will retain their roles.
Like his brother, Rob Ryan, 53, is best known for his work with defenses during his time in the NFL, though he hasn't enjoyed as much success as Rex. He was fired in November from his most recent position as defensive coordinator with the Saints, a title he held since 2013. The Saints finished the season ranked dead last in the NFL in scoring defense and 31st in total defense.
The Bills were unexpectedly mediocre on the defensive side of the ball in 2015, Rex Ryan's first season as head coach. They finished 15th in scoring defense and 19th in total defense, a major reason why the team finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs for the 16th consecutive season. A Rex Ryan-coached defense had finished outside the top 10 in total defense only once in his 11 years as a coordinator and head coach.
After his firing from the Saints, Rob Ryan spent a week in Buffalo ahead of the Bills' Week 14 loss to the Eagles. He looked on during practice, donning Bills gear, but left without a job. The two have not coached together since the 1994 and 1995 seasons on the Cardinals staff under their father, Buddy. Rob Ryan's earlier visit to Buffalo was rife with speculation that he would be offered a contract — if not right away, then eventually.
“I’ll never say never, that’s for sure,” Rex Ryan said at the time. “We’ve kind of purposely set a path going to different teams. He’s his own man, I’m my own man and we’ve purposely set that path. With that being said, I’m not going to lie to you, I think it’d be pretty fun. If it could help, obviously we’d consider it but he’d have to consider it as well. We’ve got great coaches already. But we’ll see.”
