March 19, 2019
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Jaguars have signed fifth-year LB Jake Ryan as an unrestricted free agent, the club announced today.
“I just want to come in and make an impact,” Ryan said. “[The defense] is fast, they have a great d-line and a great secondary … I am just here to help.”
Ryan, 6-2, 240, was originally selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft and has appeared in 43 career games with 27 starts. Prior to missing the 2018 season with a knee injury suffered in training camp, Ryan tallied 206 tackles, (136 solo), three passes defensed, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble from 2015-17. In 2017, Ryan recorded 79 tackles (tied for second on the Packers), his first career sack, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble. Ryan recorded a career-high 81 tackles and three passes defensed in 2016, appearing in 14 games and making nine starts. As a rookie in 2015, he played in 14 games, starting the last five games of the season and registering 46 tackles on the year.
Ryan played four seasons at the University of Michigan and started 41 of 46 games played, appearing at inside linebacker as a senior after spending his first three seasons at outside linebacker and defensive end. Ryan was a three-time winner (2012-14) of the Roger Zatkoff Award, given to Michigan’s top linebacker, and became the only player in school history to win the award, established in 1991, three times. He totaled 267 tackles in his college career and was named first-team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media as a senior in 2014.
A native of Fairview, Ohio, Ryan attended St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Ohio and played linebacker and fullback. His brother, Connor, was a wide receiver at Ball State, his father, Tim, played WR at Wake Forest (1980-84) and his grandfather, Francis Sweeney, was a defensive tackle at Xavier and for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. He can be found on Twitter at @JakeRyan_47.
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