The Baltimore Ravens are bringing a Ryan brother back into the fold. This time, it's Rob Ryan.
Baltimore has hired Rob Ryan as its inside linebacker coach, per ESPN's Jamison Hensley. This will be Ryan's first job in the NFL since 2019, when he held the same position with Washington.
Rob's brother, Rex, was a defensive coordinator for the Ravens prior to becoming head coach of the New York Jets.
Now, Baltimore will give the other Ryan an opportunity to work with current DC Don “Wink” Martindale, with whom Ryan is apparently quite close.
The Ravens had one of the best defenses in football in 2020, ranking second in defensive scoring and seventh in total yards allowed.
Baltimore even held a high-powered Buffalo Bills offense to just 220 total yards during the AFC Divisional showdown between the two teams, but Buffalo's defense made the biggest play of the game with Taron Johnson's pick-six of Lamar Jackson.
Ryan will have the good fortune of coaching up a promising group of inside ‘backers. Rookie Patrick Queen had a terrific season at the middle linebacker spot, finishing the season with 106 combined tackles–including nine for a loss–in addition to 3.0 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. Guys like L.J. Fort also played inside.
Baltimore has a number of important decisions with respect to the front seven. Matt Judon, Yannick Ngakoue and Pernell McPhee are all free agents this spring, which could lead to quite a bit of restructuring up front.
Regardless, the Ravens will entrust Rob Ryan with nurturing Queen and the other inside linebackers.