Will Rex Ryan hire his brother Rob to the Buffalo Bills?

Rob Ryan, former defensive coordinator for the Saints, was spotted at Wednesday’s practice in Buffalo.

Rob Ryan oversaw the worst defense in the league for the better part of this year, which ultimately led to his firing on November 16. When Ryan was similarly canned from Dallas in 2013, he famously told reporters, “I’ll be out of work for like five minutes.”

While it was a bit longer than his five-minute prediction, Ryan did land on his feet in New Orleans in about a month’s time, taking on the defensive coordinator position under Sean Payton. Under his leadership, the Saints improved dramatically in 2013, posting a top ten ranking in both yards and points allowed on the season.

Unfortunately for Ryan, that turnaround proved fleeting, as New Orleans regressed again in 2014, and then hit rock-bottom this season. One of the best defenses in the league just two years ago, the Saints now rank dead-last in both yards and points allowed, and it cost Ryan his job.

And this time around, there were no braggadocios quotes, smug farewells, or guarantees of future employment. Ryan seemed genuinely contrite upon his exit from the Big Easy, leading many to wonder when the embattled football coach would find another job.

It may be sooner than later after all. Rob was spotted in his brother Rex’s neck of the woods on Wednesday, attending Buffalo practice in full-on Bills gear.

While Rob insisted he was only paying the team and his twin brother “a visit,” Rex did make the comment that “it would be fun” for the two men to work together when he was asked about his brother’s firing.

Would Rex actually consider adding his brother to his staff though? Despite fielding one of the better defensive lines in football on paper, the Bills are fairly middling in all major defensive categories. They sit in the middle of the pack when it comes to rushing defense, passing defense, and points against.

Current defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman is still in his first year on the job, as is head coach Rex Ryan, so it’s probably a long-shot that Rex would replace Thurman with his brother any time soon. But it’s not out of the question that Rex could find a spot somewhere for his brother – the two have worked together successfully in the past, in 1994 and 1995 with the Arizona Cardinals.

Of course, back then both men were working on their father Buddy Ryan’s staff. It remains to be seen whether the two brothers could coexist on the sideline peacefully without the watchful eye of a parent.

That’s assuming Rex even wants Rob around permanently at all. Given his recent track record, maybe it’d be better for the Bills if Rob remains what he was on Wednesday: just a visitor.