Looks like the Jets have one new offensive staffer and may look to add another with a familiar last name.
According to SNY’s Connor Hughes, the Jets are hiring former Titans offensive coordinator Todd Downing as their new passing game coordinator, joining new Jets OC Nathaniel Hackett’s staff.
And, per Adam Schefter, the Jets on Sunday asked for permission to interview Lions assistant wide receivers coach Seth Ryan – son of Rex – for their wide receivers coach opening.
Downing, 42, spent the last two years as the Titans’ OC, and has been in the league since 2001. He spent four seasons in Minnesota’s front office before joining the field staff as a quality control coach in 2005, and he then spent three years with the Rams on the defensive side of the ball before joining Detroit as an offensive quality control coach in 2009.
His further offensive experience includes seven seasons as a quarterbacks or assistant quarterbacks coach with Detroit, Buffalo, and Oakland, as well as one other year as an OC with the Raiders in 2017. He was then Minnesota’s tight ends coach in 2018 and Tennessee’s TE coach in 2019-20 before ascending to OC in 2021.
As SNY also points out, Downing’s addition could also help give the Jets some insight on free agent QB Ryan Tannehill, who could be an option for Gang Green as they look to add a veteran signal-caller.
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Seth Ryan, 28, was a wide receiver at Clemson and won a national title in January 2017 in his final college game. He started his coaching career in 2019 as an offensive quality control coach with the Chargers, and spent two seasons there before joining Detroit as assistant WR coach in 2021.
He was in high school when his dad was named Jets coach in 2009, and he may end up coaching against his father sometime soon – Rex Ryan is reportedly under consideration for the Broncos defensive coordinator position.
Whether it’s Seth Ryan or someone else, whomever is hired as Jets WR coach will replace Miles Austin, who was suspended for at least a year last December after violating the NFL’s gambling policy, and later parted ways with the Jets.
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