Rex Ryan offers a candid reason why he turned down the Cowboys defensive coordinator job

Former NFL coach Rex Ryan was one of the Dallas Cowboys' loudest critics heading into the 2024 season, and he apparently could have worked as defensive coordinator instead.

The team's defense has been a central focus of the Cowboys' struggles this season. Ryan even called Dallas' defense “hot trash” in one of his ESPN rants about the team.

Ryan sounds like he wants to help solve the team's problems, and he admitted he would work as the Cowboys' DC if it weren't for one problem: money.

“I could have fixed that [the Cowboys’ defense] in a New York minute,” Rex Ryan said on ESPN’s DiPietro and Rothenberg show. “But other than that, they couldn’t raise the money or I would have been there.”

Ryan then criticized the Cowboys' ultimate choice of defensive coordinator, former Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer.

“They brought in a guy who finished 29th in the league the last two years in Minnesota. The enthusiasm he brought with him when he left will inspire you? This can end up really bad for Dallas,” Ryan said.

Ryan most recently served as head coach of the Buffalo Bills in 2015-16. Before that, he was head coach of the New York Jets from 2009 to 2014. He has been working with ESPN since 2016.

The Cowboys' defense has already given up 89 points in three games, with 44 of those points coming in Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints. The 1-2 Cowboys need to get themselves in shape or at least expect Ryan to continue giving them a hard time about his ESPN appearances.