After a 2018 season that was ravaged by injuries, the Washington Redskins hired longtime defensive coach Rob Ryan to be their linebackers coach.
Through two weeks of OTAs and dozens of hours with his new team, Ryan seems to have the utmost confidence that these players will exceed expectations.
“I think this is a top-five defense,” Ryan said on the “Redskins Talk” podcast. “This is an ultra-talented defense, we have an excellent coaching staff, and we’re going to do a great job — I have no doubt about it.”
So, of course Ryan is going to boost up his corps of young players ahead of the season, but what’s important to note is that he is a coach with loads of experience under his belt. Ryan started his coaching career way back in 1987 and has circulated through the NFL ranks consistently since 2000.
“We do have a lot of unique guys with a lot of experience,” Ryan said. “The nice thing about experience is that you’ve been there, so you have a unique perspective on things, like, ‘Hey we could call it or we could play it this way.’”
While he may be used to playing a bigger role on teams — he hasn’t held a rank lower than defensive coordinator since 2003 — the Redskins defense poses a perfect opportunity to propel Ryan back into the limelight, and Washington can benefit from his loads of experience.
Should everything go right, this is a perfect marriage.
