1. Rex Ryan
Ryan has been working for ESPN over the last two seasons, since being let go after a dismal two seasons as head coach of the Buffalo Bills. For a time in this cycle, he surfaced as a head coaching candidate for the Miami Dolphins and the Miami Hurricanes. The Dolphins’ job is set to be filled, and the Hurricanes’ job was filled quickly when Mark Richt retired, so the buzz around Ryan returning to coaching this year has diminished in line.
But immediately after news of Sutton’s firing surfaced, ESPN’s Adam Schefter pointed to Ryan as a name to watch.
Here’s a name to watch for the now vacant Chiefs’ DC job, per sources: former Jets and Bills’ HC and current ESPN analyst Rex Ryan, who has been approached about other DC openings in recent seasons.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 22, 2019
Ryan’s acumen is of course on the defensive side of the ball. Over 10 seasons (2005-2014) with the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets, as defensive coordinator and then head coach, Ryan had his hands on nine defenses that finished top-10 in the league in yardage allowed. Eight times in those 10 campaigns Ryan was behind a top-10 run defense, and seven times in those 10 seasons the Ravens and Jets had a top-10 pass defense.
Schefter’s tweet may be informed speculation from within the worldwide leader, possibly directly from Ryan if he has been contacted about replacing Sutton. So he’s easily atop this list right now, and an announcement he’ll become Chiefs’ defensive coordinator could come quickly.