The New York Jets’ offense has undergone a major philosophical overhaul going into the 2026 season.

Not only has 64-year-old Frank Reich replaced first-time play-caller Tanner Engstrand as the team’s offensive coordinator, but the Jets also have a new passing game coordinator, who carries a familiar family name: Seth Ryan.

The son of former Jets head coach Rex Ryan, Seth’s addition to the Jets’ coaching staff made headlines because of his relation to his father, but he is a promising coaching prospect in his own right.

Jets head coach Aaron Glenn worked with Ryan in Detroit for four seasons. Speaking in April about Ryan’s hiring, Glenn was ecstatic about bringing in the up-and-coming coach.

“We have some really innovative young guys on that offensive staff that’s — I can see these guys being coordinators and head coaches,” Glenn said at the league meetings in Arizona. “I’ll tell you, Seth Ryan: Just keep your eye on him. Just telling you that right now. He’s going to be a hell of a coach. It’s the ideas that he brings.”

Ryan entered the NFL as an offensive quality control coach for the Los Angeles Chargers, a role he held from 2019 to 2020. In 2021, he joined the Detroit Lions under head coach Dan Campbell, where he spent the next five seasons. After four seasons as an assistant wide receivers coach (2021-24), Ryan transitioned to an assistant tight ends coach in 2025.

Ryan played wide receiver at Clemson, but he had never played tight end or even worked with the position as a coach. However, Campbell moved Ryan to the tight ends room in hopes of improving his prospects as a coach, believing he would benefit from exposure to more of the offense.

“He’s looking at my future,” Ryan said of Campbell’s decision to switch his role. “He’s like, I see you becoming this, and I know this will help you. And there’s got to be a lot of trust with your head coach. This is my fifth season with him. I trust the man completely. He knows exactly how to help his staff, how to help the team. He’s helped my career a ton, so I’m going to trust him.”

Now, after working closely with the Lions’ elite offense both on the perimeter and at the line of scrimmage, Ryan will be tasked with coordinating a Jets passing game that generated the fewest yards in the NFL last season.

It’s a tall order for the 32-year-old, but he is coming from perhaps the best environment in the NFL for learning about the most effective concepts and strategies in the modern game. Ryan spent four years learning under offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who is now the Chicago Bears’ head coach. Overall, across Ryan’s five seasons in Detroit, the Lions had the best passer rating in the NFL (100.5).

As Ryan looks to carry over some of the Lions’ aerial success to New York, there is one particular aspect of Detroit’s offense that Ryan must seek to emulate: their excellence on first-read passes.

Detroit’s passing game is known for its predication on quick passing. They get the ball out fast, reducing the risk for sacks and turnovers. Opposing pass rushers are given little to no time to get home for a hit on the quarterback.

This strategy is only effective, though, if those first-read passes actually get the offense moving. If the passes are predictable and easy to stop, it will only be a path to continuous three-and-outs.

The Lions were extremely efficient on first-read passes in 2025. According to Pro Football Focus, they ranked third-best in the NFL with 8.1 yards per play on first-read passes. They maintained it on a high volume, too, as they ranked fifth in the league with 188 first-read completions.

Compare this to the Jets, who ranked 31st in the league with 5.1 yards per play on first-read passes.

If your first-read passes cannot sustain drives, you will be forced to rely on your dropback passing game, which makes it that much easier for the opposing pass rush to tee off on your quarterback. That’s what leads to bundles of sacks and turnovers.

But if your first-read passes are generating over eight yards a pop, defenses are left with no options. The ball is getting out too fast for the pass rush to generate negative plays, and even though the defense knows those quick passes are coming, they still can’t stop them.

Ryan’s job is to figure out how to bring this magic to Florham Park.

It’s easier said than done. Just because Ryan was present in Detroit, it doesn’t mean he will automatically carry over the Lions’ results. He is not bringing Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jared Goff, or Penei Sewell with him.

Nonetheless, Ryan spent the last five years gaining an intimate understanding of the Lions’ offense. He has the knowledge. Now, the challenge is to transfer it to a new organization while working in a more prominent role.

If one thing is for certain, it’s that Glenn thinks he is up to the task.