NFL Rumors: Former Jets HC Rex Ryan a Candidate for Broncos DC Role Under Sean Payton

Former New York Jets and Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan is reportedly on the radar for a return to coaching in the NFL.

According to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, Ryan has emerged as a "surprise candidate" to be the Denver Broncos' defensive coordinator under head coach Sean Payton, and he has already interviewed for the position.

Ryan has not coached at all since getting fired as the Bills' head coach in 2016, and he has been an analyst for ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown since 2017.

The 60-year-old Ryan, who is the son of legendary NFL defensive mind Buddy Ryan, was considered one of the best defensive coaches in the game during his own NFL tenure.

His greatest success before becoming a head coach came with the Baltimore Ravens, as he was their defensive line coach from 1999 to 2004 and their defensive coordinator from 2005 to 2008.

In 2000, the Ravens had arguably the greatest defense in NFL history, and they went on to beat the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.

Baltimore would continue to field strong defenses during Ryan's time as defensive coordinator as well, ranking first in both total defense and scoring defense in 2006, and second in total defense and third in scoring defense in 2008.

Ryan's defensive philosophy translated well to New York when he was named head coach of the Jets in 2009. The Jets reached the AFC Championship Game in each of his first two seasons, ranking first in total defense and scoring defense in 2009, and third in total defense and sixth in scoring defense in 2010.

The Jets missed the playoffs in each of Ryan's next four seasons, though, leading to his firing. During his two seasons as Bills head coach after that, Buffalo failed to make the playoffs and had only a middle-of-the-pack defense.

Denver went all in this season, acquiring quarterback Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks for a bevy of draft picks and players, but the early returns were disastrous, as the Broncos went just 5-12.

In an effort to resurrect Wilson's career, the Broncos fired Nathaniel Hackett and hired Payton as their new head coach. Payton is a well-regarded offensive mastermind who won a Super Bowl as head coach of the New Orleans Saints and helped mold quarterback Drew Brees into a Hall of Famer.

While Payton will be hard at work figuring out how to fix the offensive side of the ball, bringing in a stalwart on the defensive side like Ryan could prove to be a stabilizing force.

At the same time, there is always risk involved with bringing back a coach who has been out of football for an extended period of time since it is possible the game could have passed them by.

The Broncos are in desperation mode after having missed the playoffs in seven straight seasons, so swinging for the fences with a hire like Ryan may be worth the risk.