Early career Ryan was a graduate assistant at
Western Kentucky in 1987. Then in 1988, he was an assistant coach at
Ohio State. He then spent five seasons at
Tennessee State, where he coached
running backs (1989–91),
wide receivers (1992) and the
defensive line (1993).
Arizona Cardinals Ryan first entered the NFL coaching ranks in 1994 as defensive backs coach on his father's staff for the
Arizona Cardinals. He also coached Cardinals
cornerbacks and
safeties in 1995. With Ryan as his position coach, cornerback
Aeneas Williams earned two trips to the
Pro Bowl in
1994 and
1995. In 1995, the Cardinals led the NFL with 32
interceptions and 42 total takeaways. The 1994 Cardinals ranked second in the NFL total defense, second in run defense and third in pass defense.
Hutchinson After being fired by the Arizona Cardinals, Ryan served as defensive coordinator at
Hutchinson Community College in 1996. Ryan's defense led the nation in total defense (228 yards-per-game) and in
sacks (56). They also set a national record by forcing 49 turnovers.
Oklahoma State In 1997, Ryan became the defensive coordinator at
Oklahoma State. While at Oklahoma State, the Cowboys defense continually ranked among the best in the nation, also he was named Coordinator of the Year by The Sporting News in 1997. In 1999, they were ranked 10th in the nation in total defense. In 1998, they were second in the nation with 41 sacks. In his first season at Oklahoma State, the Cowboys defense finished among the nation top-20 in turnover margin, rushing defense, scoring defense, and total defense, allowing just 302.7 yards-per-game. It was an over 100-yard improvement per game from the year before and helped the Cowboys produce an 8–4 mark and capping the 1997 season with a berth in the
Alamo Bowl.
New England Patriots Prior to the 2000 season, new Patriots coach
Bill Belichick hired Ryan to serve as the
linebackers coach for the
New England Patriots, where he spent the next four seasons. During his tenure the Patriots won
Super Bowl XXXVI over the
St. Louis Rams and
Super Bowl XXXVIII over the
Carolina Panthers.
Oakland Raiders Ryan was hired as the defensive coordinator for the
Oakland Raiders prior to the 2004 season. The defense improved in his second season, averaging 23.9 points a game, and moving to 25th in the league. In 2006, the Raiders ranked third in yards-per-game but 18th in points-per-game. In 2007, the Raiders defense ranked 22nd in yards- and 26th in points-per game. In 2008, Ryan's defense ranked 24th with 388 points allowed.
Cleveland Browns Eric Mangini named Ryan as defensive coordinator of the
Cleveland Browns on January 14, 2009. In his first season in Cleveland, Ryan's defense ranked 21st in the league, with 375 points against, as teams averaged 23.4 points per game against them. In 2010, the Browns were 13th in the league with 332 points allowed.
Dallas Cowboys Ryan was officially named the
Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator on January 19, 2011. In his first season, the Cowboys were ranked 14th in yards-per-game and 16th in points-per-game. In 2012 Dallas was ranked 19th in yards-per-game and 24th in points-per-game while only ranking 16th in sacks. On January 8, 2013, the Cowboys ended Ryan's employment with the franchise.
New Orleans Saints In January 2013, Ryan agreed to become the defensive coordinator for the
St. Louis Rams, but resigned less than five days later. In February 2013, Ryan was hired as the
New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator, implementing a
3–4 defense to the team and scrapping their previous
4–3 defense. Ryan's defense finished well statistically in
2013, including fourth in fewest points-per-game and second for fewest passing yards allowed. The following year,
2014, New Orleans was near the bottom of the league in most defensive categories. On November 16, 2015, the day after a 47–14 loss to the
Washington Redskins, and with New Orleans' defense ranked last in the NFL, Ryan was fired. New Orleans defensive assistant coach
Dennis Allen was appointed defensive coordinator following Ryan's dismissal.
Buffalo Bills On January 10, 2016, the Bills announced that Ryan would be joining his brother's staff with the
Buffalo Bills as assistant head coach. Under Ryan, the Bills started out 0–2, then won four straight games, including a 16–0 shutout of the
New England Patriots, the first time that the Bills kept the Patriots scoreless at
Gillette Stadium. The Bills entered the bye week at 4–5, then beat the Bengals and Jaguars to climb to 6-5 through week 12. They ranked 12th in the league as of week 13. On December 27, 2016, the Bills announced they had fired Rob Ryan along with his brother Rex.
Washington Redskins On January 30, 2019, Ryan was hired by the
Washington Redskins as their inside linebackers coach. On January 5, 2020, the team announced that incoming head coach
Ron Rivera had replaced Ryan with
Steve Russ.
Baltimore Ravens On January 22, 2021, Ryan was hired by the
Baltimore Ravens as their inside linebackers coach under defensive coordinator
Don Martindale and head coach
John Harbaugh. On February 3, 2022, after only one season, Ryan and the Ravens parted ways.
Las Vegas Raiders On February 12, 2022, Ryan was hired by the Raiders for a second time, this time as a senior defensive assistant under new defensive coordinator
Patrick Graham and under new head coach
Josh McDaniels. Ryan and McDaniels previously served as assistant coaches for the
New England Patriots under head coach
Bill Belichick from 2001 to 2003. The team's defense ranked 26th in 2022, 9th in 2023, and 26th in 2024. After three years, Ryan left the Raiders to join USC.
USC On January 21, 2025, Ryan was hired by
USC as the team's assistant head coach for defense/linebackers for the 2025 season. ==Broadcasting==