Biography
Sean Ryan joined the Miami Dolphins as a defensive assistant in 2024.
The 2024 season is Ryan's 17th of NFL experience. Ryan won Super Bowl XLII and XLVI as a member of the New York Giants coaching staff.
Prior to joining Miami, Ryan spent one season at South Carolina as an offensive analyst. In 2023, the Gamecocks ranked fourth in the SEC in passing offense (278.0). Ryan worked with wide receiver Xavier Legette, who became only the fifth player in school history to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards in a season. Legette was drafted 32nd overall in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers.
Ryan spent two seasons (2021-22) as the quarterbacks coach for the Carolina Panthers.
In 2022, the Carolina quarterbacks were tied for 5th in the NFC with five passes of 50+ yards. Ryan helped quarterback Sam Darnold post the second-highest yards per attempt in the NFL (8.16) from Week 12 to the end of the regular season.
In 2021, Darnold became the first quarterback in NFL history with five rushing touchdowns in the first four games of the season. Darnold also set the franchise record with three consecutive 300-yard passing games.
Prior to Carolina, Ryan spent two seasons (2019-20) as the quarterbacks coach for the Detroit Lions.
In 2020, the Lions had the eighth-most passing yards in the NFL with 4,397 as a team. Quarterback Matthew Stafford finished with his eight career 4,000-yard passing season, which was the fifth-most since 2009.
In 2019, Ryan coached Stafford to a league-leading 2,499 passing yards and 19 passing touchdowns through the first eight games of the year before Stafford missed the rest of the season with an injury.
Ryan spent three seasons (2016-18) with the Houston Texans. He was the wide receivers coach in 2016 and the quarterbacks coach from 2017-18.
In 2018, Ryan continued to develop quarterback Deshaun Watson, who ranked sixth in the NFL with a 103.1 passer rating, throwing 26 touchdowns to nine interceptions to earn his first career Pro Bowl honor. The Texans won the AFC South after posting an 11-5 regular season record.
In 2017, Ryan worked with Watson during his rookie season. Watson set an NFL record for passing touchdowns (19) through a player's first seven games before getting injured. After Watson's injury, Ryan helped quarterback Tom Savage throw for 300 yards for the first time in his career Week 13 at Tennessee (12/3/17) to become the eighth quarterback in Texans history to do so.
In his first season with Houston in 2016, Ryan worked with wide receiver Will Fuller V, who recorded 5 receptions for 107 yards (21.4 avg.) and a TD to become the first rookie first-round draft pick since 1984 to post 100 yards in a season opener. Houston would go on to win the AFC South and defeat Oakland 27-14 in the AFC Wild Card game.
Before his stint in Houston, Ryan spent nine seasons (2007-15) with the New York Giants, where he helped them to victories in Super Bowl XLII (2007) and Super Bowl XLVI (2011). Ryan held the roles of offensive quality control (2007-09), wide receivers coach (2010-11, 2014-15) and quarterbacks coach (2012-13) during his time in New York.
In 2015, Giants wide receivers combined for 211 receptions for 2,855 yards and 26 touchdowns. Wide Receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was named to his second consecutive Pro Bowl after tying the franchise single-season receiving touchdown record with 13. He finished his second season with the third-most receptions (96) and receiving yards (1,450) in a season in team history. In addition, Rueben Randle set a single-season career high with eight receiving touchdowns.
In 2014, Ryan was instrumental in the rapid development of Beckham Jr., who became the first Giants player selected as the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year in the awards history since 1967. In just 12 games, Beckham Jr. had 91 receptions for 1,305 yards (14.3 avg.) and 12 TDs, all franchise rookie records. The 12 receiving touchdowns are the second-most by a rookie in NFL history. He became the first wide receiver in NFL history to reach 1,000 yards after missing the season's first three games.
From 2012-13, Ryan worked with quarterback Eli Manning as the quarterbacks coach. In 2012, Manning was selected to his third Pro Bowl after completing 321-of-536 passes (59.9 pct.) for 3,948 yards, 26 TDs and a passer rating of 87.2.
In 2011, Ryan helped the wide receiver corps set a franchise record with 4,734 net passing yards. Wide receiver Victor Cruz broke out, hauling in 82 receptions for a franchise-record 1,536 yards (18.7 avg.) and nine TDs. Wide receiver Hakeem Nicks had 76 receptions for a career-best 1,192 yards (15.7 avg.) and seven TDs. Under Ryan, Cruz and Nicks became the first Giants receivers to have more than 1,000 yards in the same season.
In 2010, Nicks led the Giants with 79 receptions for 1,052 yards (13.3 avg.) and 11 TDs. Wide receiver Mario Manningham added 60 catches for 944 yards (15.7 avg.) and nine TDs. Ryan guided the duo to be the first pair of Giants with at least nine touchdown receptions in a season since 1967.
As a quality control coach from 2007-09, Ryan oversaw a Giants offense that placed in the top-10 in total offense in consecutive seasons (2008-09).
Prior to the NFL, Ryan was the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator for Harvard in 2006. He helped running back Clifton Dawson, who is the all-time leading rusher in Ivy League history, run for 1,213 yards on 237 carries (5.12 avg.) and 20 TDs in his senior campaign.
Ryan spent three seasons (2003-05) with Columbia. He was the running backs and special teams coordinator in 2003 and 2004 before coaching the quarterbacks in 2005.
In 2005, Ryan played a key role in the growth of quarterback Craig Hormann. In his first season at the helm, Hormann threw for 1,481 yards and seven TDs before finishing his career in the top-three of most passing yards, most completions and most touchdowns in Columbia history.
In 2004, Ryan helped running back Rashad Biggers gain 770 rushing yards in 10 games. A year earlier, he coached running back Ayo Oluwoloe to 903 rushing yards, the fifth-most in a single season in school history.
Before Columbia, Ryan spent two years (2001-02) at Boston College, working primarily with the wide receivers. The Eagles won bowl games in each of those seasons, beating Georgia in the 2001 Music City Bowl and Toledo in the 2002 Motor City Bowl.
Ryan was the running backs coach at Colgate in 2000, a graduate assistant at Albany in 1998-99 and started off his coaching career at Siena College as the quarterbacks coach in 1997.
A native of Hudson Falls, N.Y., Ryan played defensive back and outside linebacker at Hamilton College, where he graduated and earned his degree in American studies in 1994. He also earned a master's degree in higher education administration from Albany. He and his wife, Jenni, have three daughters; Cecilia, Frances and Lillian.