The Dallas Cowboys interviewed former NFL head coach Rex Ryan for their vacant defensive coordinator position, a team source confirmed Wednesday.
Ryan, 61, hasn’t coached in the NFL since 2016, when he was fired by the Buffalo Bills. Before two seasons in Buffalo, he spent six seasons as the head coach of the New York Jets.
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Ryan has worked as an analyst for ESPN since 2017.
CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson first reported Ryan’s interview.
Ryan came up through the ranks as a defensive coach. During his last stint as a defensive coordinator, with the Baltimore Ravens from 2005 to 2008, his unit never finished below sixth in yards allowed per game. Ryan’s Jets teams also fielded a top-10 defense in all but one season (2013). He had a 61-66 combined record with New York and Buffalo, with two AFC Championship Game appearances.
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Why Ryan would make sense
The Cowboys considering Ryan for their vacant defensive coordinator position isn’t surprising and falls in line with where their search has been going since Quinn’s departure. Mike McCarthy values a strong defensive mind who has head-coaching experience, which is why former Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera has been considered, as well as former Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer.
While he doesn’t have any direct ties to the Cowboys, his brother, Rob, was the defensive coordinator in Dallas in 2011 and 2012. — Saad Yousuf, Cowboys writer
Ryan’s history with McCarthy
One of the most interesting aspects of Ryan getting an interview is that he has been very critical of McCarthy. As an ESPN analyst, Ryan was not a fan of the Cowboys hiring McCarthy after the 2019 season, suggesting that a lot of coaches could’ve won like McCarthy did in Green Bay if they had quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
“You didn’t win,” Ryan said at the time. “You were like the rest of us when you didn’t have Aaron Rodgers.”
He has also criticized McCarthy for his “horrendous decision” to leave quarterback Dak Prescott in during the fourth quarter of a blowout loss to the Denver Broncos in 2021, and for the way McCarthy handled clock management late in a win over the Los Angeles Chargers in the same season.
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“He tells a lie,” Ryan said of McCarthy’s postgame comments. “Then you tell another lie. And then you tell another lie. It just keeps going. I’ve seen this a million times with kids. … You know who didn’t have composure? The head coach.”
This isn’t to say it couldn’t work with the two on the same sideline, it would just be very interesting if Ryan ended up getting the job. — Jon Machota, Cowboys writer
Required reading
- Cowboys offseason questions: Will anything change? Can Dak Prescott get it done?
- Inside the World Cup 2026 final host city selection: Why New Jersey was picked over Dallas
- Ranking the Cowboys’ 16 unrestricted free agents: Who do they need to bring back most?
(Photo: Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images)