Could Rex Ryan be next Cowboys DC under Brian Schottenheimer?

With the hiring of Brian Schottenheimer, it appears that Rex Ryan could be in play as part of his Dallas Cowboys staff.
New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan questions the officials during the game with the Minnesota Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings win 30-24.
New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan questions the officials during the game with the Minnesota Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings win 30-24. / Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

The Dallas Cowboys head coaching search has come to an end, with Brian Schottenheimer being named the 10th head coach in franchise history.

And with a head new head coach now decided, one can't help but wonder what a Schottenheimer-led staff would look like in the meantime.

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According to Pro Football Talk NFL insider Mike Florio, one name that could emerge with the hire of Schottenheimer is none other than former Jets and Bills head coach Rex Ryan.

"Last year, the Cowboys were looking to hire a new defensive coordinator. As Rex Ryan tells it, it would have been him, if they’d been offering more money," Florio said. "This time around, as they reportedly are poised to hire Brian Schottenheimer as Mike McCarthy’s successor, Rex could be in play again."

Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan reacts to his team scoring a touchdown during the second half against the Cleveland Browns
Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan reacts to his team scoring a touchdown during the second half against the Cleveland Browns at New Era Field. / Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

Ryan, of course, spent the bulk of his coaching career with his rise coming as the coordinator of the suffocating Baltimore Ravens defense from 2005-2008. He then turned that opporunity into the Jets head coaching job in 2009, where his offensive coordinator was none other than Schottenheimer until 2011.

In other words, the two have a history, and were quite successful together, making it to back-to-back AFC Championship games in their first two seasons together.

All that said, despite their history together, Ryan to Dallas doesn't make much sense for a handful of reasons. Chief among those reasons being that Ryan has held a job coaching for an NFL or college team since he was fired by the Bills in 2016 after a mediocre run with the franchise. Instead, Ryan has been working with ESPN as an analyst since shortly after his depature from Buffalo.

MORE: Pete Carroll, Raiders can save Cowboys by hiring Schottenheimer as OC

Of course, that hasn't stopped Ryan from making it known that he believes he still has a lot left in the tank, with the 62-year-old even stating that he would have been a much better choice for the Cowboys than Mike Zimmer.

“I could’ve fixed [the Cowboys’ defense] in a New York minute," Ryan told ESPN in September. "But, that being said, they couldn’t pony up the money, or I would’ve been there.”

Whether or not that is true remains to be seen. But with the Cowboys deciding on Schottenheimer, we may just find out.

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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Senior Editor/Columnist