Ryan reunion; Rex hires brother Rob in Buffalo

It’s a family reunion in Buffalo after the Bills announced last night that they have reached an agreement with Rob Ryan to become an assistant head coach for defense on his brother Rex’s staff.

“I’m excited to have Rob join our staff and I think he will be a great asset for our defense,” Head Coach Rex Ryan said in a statement on the Bills’ official site.  “He has a tremendous working knowledge of our schemes and I look forward to his input.  On a personal note, it’s been a number of years since we have worked together and so we are both really looking forward to this opportunity.”

It will be the first time the Ryan brothers have worked on the same staff since 1995, when both were assistants with the Arizona Cardinals under their father, Buddy Ryan.

Rob Ryan, 53, has 28 years of coaching experience, including 17 at the NFL level.

He won two Super Bowl titles as a linebackers coach in New England from 2000 to 2003 under Bill Belichick.

He has also had stops in Oakland (2004-2008), Cleveland (2009-2010), Dallas (2011-2012) and New Orleans (2013-2015).

It wasn’t the first time the Ryan brothers were together in Buffalo.

Rob spent a week in Buffalo before the team’s match up against the Philadelphia Eagles in early December, decked out in team gear.

“He was around for several days and he really, really liked the players that we have, and you know and sees what we are building,” said Rex Ryan. “And he has been around a lot of teams. So I think he was impressed with this organization.”

The “new” Ryan is expected to help oversee the defense and assist with offseason preparations and game planning during the season in his new role with the team.