Jacob William Ryan (born February 27, 1992) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

inside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. He was drafted by the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

in the fourth round of the

2015 NFL Draft The 2015 NFL Draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park, from April 30 to May 2. The previous ...

High school career

In high school, Ryan was rated as the 30th best

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

in the country by

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

. He was rated as the 60th and 81st best

outside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

in the national class of 2010 by

ESPN.com ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc. History Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including ...

and

Scout.com Scout Media is an integrated sports publishing company that produces Internet content covering hundreds of professional and college teams across America. The company was founded in 2001 and was acquired by Fox Sports in 2005. In 2013, Fox Sports ...

, respectively. He was regarded as the 34th best player in the state of

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

by Rivals. Ryan was a participant in the Ohio North–South All-Star game. He recovered the

onside kick In gridiron football, an onside kick is a kickoff deliberately kicked short in an attempt by the kicking team to regain possession of the ball. This is in contrast with a typical kickoff, in which the kicking team intends to give the ball to the ...

to secure the

Ohio High School Athletic Association The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the state of Ohio. The OHSAA governs eligibility of student athletes, resolves disputes, organizes levels of compe ...

(OHSAA) championship as a junior. Ryan had offers from Ball State, Toledo and a number of other

Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twel ...

, but he grew and prior to his senior year. Since Saint Ignatius High School has many Michigan Wolverine alumni, Ryan suspects that sudden late interest from Michigan was prompted by one of them.

College career

Ryan

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

his freshman year for the 2010 Michigan Wolverines football team. As a redshirt freshman, he started in the September 3 opener for the 2011 team against

Western Michigan West Michigan and Western Michigan are terms for an arbitrary region in the U.S. state of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Most narrowly it refers to the Grand Rapids- Muskegon-Holland area, and more broadly to most of the region along the Lower Pen ...

as a result of a back injury to Cam Gordon. In the game, Ryan deflected a pass that was intercepted and returned for a

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...

. He went on to start 11 games and play in all 13. On September 24, 2011 against new

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

Brady Hoke Brady Patrick Hoke (; born November 3, 1958) is an American football coach in his second stint as the head coach at San Diego State University. He was previously the head coach at the University of Michigan from 2011 to 2014. Hoke grew up in O ...

's former team,

San Diego State San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

, Ryan had two

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...

recoveries. His first career

quarterback sack In gridiron football, a sack occurs when the quarterback (or another offensive player acting as a passer) is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before throwing a forward pass, when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in th ...

came on October 1 in the Little Brown Jug rivalry game against

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. It was his only sack that year until the final game of the season. In the January 3,

2012 Sugar Bowl The 2012 Allstate Sugar Bowl was the 78th edition of the annual postseason college football bowl game known as the Sugar Bowl. It featured the Michigan Wolverines and the Virginia Tech Hokies on Tuesday, January 3, 2012, at the Mercedes-Benz S ...

23–20

overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society), ...

victory against

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

, Ryan had 4

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking u ...

for a loss, including one sack and one 22-yard loss by David Wilson. During the game, he had his season-high 7 tackles (6 solo). For the season, he earned 2011 Big Ten All-Freshman team recognition from both

and BTN.com as well as 2011

2nd team All-Freshman and College Football News All-Freshman honorable mention honors. Ryan finished among the conference leaders in tackles for a loss/game (.85, t-15th). Prior to the second game of the 2012 season against

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

, Ryan's number was changed from 90 to 47 following a ceremony for

Bennie Oosterbaan Benjamin Oosterbaan ( ; February 24, 1906 – October 25, 1990) was a three-time first team All-American football end for the Michigan Wolverines football team, two-time All-American basketball player for the basketball team, and an All-Big Ten C ...

in which his retired number was placed back into circulation as a Michigan Football Legend jersey. On October 13, Ryan was selected as Big Ten Defensive player of the week when he posted a career-high 11 tackles (3.5 for a loss and 1.5 sacks). Ryan was named an All-Big Ten second-team selection by the media and an honorable mention selection by the coaches. During Spring practice in 2013, Ryan tore his

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation ...

. When Ryan was initially injured in the spring, there was no official diagnosis of his expected return to football, but ACL injuries typically require a year to fully heal. By August Ryan was expected to return to the field in mid October. On August 25, 2013, he was named one of four team co-

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

s along with

Taylor Lewan Taylor Curtis Lewan (born July 22, 1991) is an American football tackle for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan, where he twice received first-team All-American honors, and was sel ...

, Courtney Avery, and

Cam Gordon Cameron A. Gordon (born 1955) is an American politician who was a Green Party of the United States, Green Party member of the Minneapolis City Council from 2006 to 2022. He was a co-founder of the Green Party of Minnesota and was called "the mos ...

. Ryan was cleared to play by doctors on October 7, ahead of the October 12 contest against

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...

. Ryan entered the 2014 season on the preseason watchlists for the

Bronko Nagurski Trophy The Bronko Nagurski Trophy has been awarded annually since 1993 to the collegiate American football defensive player adjudged by the membership of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) to be the best in the National Collegiate Athle ...

Butkus Award The Butkus Award, instituted in 1985 by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, is given annually to the top linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football. The award, named in honor of College Football Hall of Fame ...

Lombardi Award The Rotary Lombardi Award is an award for college football in the United States. Awarded by the Rotary Club of Houston, Texas annually to the college football player "who best embodies the values and spirit of NFL's legendary coach Vince Lombar ...

, and

Bednarik Award The Chuck Bednarik Award is presented annually to the defensive player in college football as judged by the Maxwell Football Club to be the best in the United States. The award is named for Chuck Bednarik, a former college and professional Ameri ...

. Ryan was a late addition to the

Lott IMPACT Trophy The Lott IMPACT Trophy is presented annually to the college football defensive IMPACT player of the year. IMPACT is an acronym for: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community, and Tenacity. The award purports to equally recognize the ...

watch list. In the offseason, Michigan announced that Ryan would be moving to

middle linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

. In the September 6

Michigan–Notre Dame football rivalry The Michigan–Notre Dame football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Michigan Wolverines and Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Michigan and Notre Dame football programs are among the most distinguished in college football ...

game, Ryan tied his career high with 11 tackles against Notre Dame. On October 13, Ryan was recognized as Big Ten co-Defensive Player of the Week (along with

Damien Wilson Damien Wilson (born May 28, 1993) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Minnesota, and was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He has also played for the Ka ...

) after recording 10 tackles (3 for a loss) against

on October 11. On October 27, Ryan became one of 15 semifinalists for the Butkus Award. On November 3, Ryan was again recognized as Big Ten co-Defensive Player of the Week (along with Louis Trinca-Pasat) after recording 11 tackles (2.5 for a loss and 2 forced fumbles) against

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

on November 1. On November 24, Ryan was named one of five finalist for the Butkus Award. Following the regular season, he was named first-team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and the media. He was an honorable mention selection to the

2014 College Football All-America Team The 2014 College Football All-America Team includes those players of American college football who have been honored by various selector organizations as the best players at their respective positions. The selector organizations award the "All-Am ...

by ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

''. He won The

Roger Zatkoff Roger Zatkoff (March 25, 1931 – November 4, 2021) was an American professional football player and businessman. A native of Hamtramck, Michigan, Zatkoff played college football for the Michigan Wolverines from 1950 to 1952 and was selected ...

Award as the team's top linebacker in 2012, 2013, and 2014.

College statistics

Professional career

On December 13, 2014, it was announced that Ryan had accepted his invitation to play in the

2015 East–West Shrine Game The 2015 East–West Shrine Game, the 90th staging of the all-star college football exhibition, was held on January 17, 2015, at 4:00 PM EST, and featured NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision players and a few select invitees from Canadian ...

. On January 17, 2015, Ryan attended the

East–West Shrine Game East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...

and recorded five combined tackles, a tackle for a loss, and one sack as part of Mike Singletary's East team that defeated the North 19–3. He was one of 34 collegiate linebackers to attend the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

. Ryan completed all of the combine drills and finished fifth among all participating linebackers in the

three-cone drill The three-cone drill, 3-cone drill or L-drill is a test performed by American football players. It is primarily run to evaluate the agility, quickness and fluidity of movement of players by scouts. It is most commonly seen at the NFL Combine in p ...

, tied for sixth in the short shuttle, and finished eighth in the

40-yard dash The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a he ...

. On March 12, 2015, Ryan attended Michigan's pro day, but opted to stand on his combine numbers and only perform positional drills for scouts and team representatives from 18 NFL teams. During the pre-draft process, Ryan attended a private visit with the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Ryan was projected to be a fourth or fifth round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked the 12th best outside linebacker prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com and was ranked the 15th best outside linebacker by

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

Green Bay Packers

2015

The

selected Ryan in the fourth round (129th overall) of the

. He was the 15th linebacker drafted in 2015. On May 7, 2015, the Green Bay Packers signed Ryan to a four-year, $2.73 million

contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tran ...

that includes a

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

of $456,678. Throughout training camp, Ryan competed for a job as a starting inside linebacker after they were left vacant after the release of

A. J. Hawk Aaron James Hawk (born January 6, 1984) is an American sports analyst and former American football linebacker who played 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers fifth overall in the 2006 NFL Dra ...

and Brad Jones. He competed against

Clay Matthews III William Clay Matthews III (born May 14, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was an outside linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). The six-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time All-Pro played primarily with the ...

Sam Barrington Samuel Kofi Barrington (born October 5, 1990) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at South Florida, and was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Barrington has also played ...

Nate Palmer Nathan Palmer Jr. (born September 23, 1989) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at Illinois State. Palmer was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Early life Palmer was b ...

, Joe Thomas, and

Carl Bradford Carl Thomas Bradford (born August 15, 1992) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at Arizona State, and was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He has also been a member o ...

. Head coach

Mike McCarthy Michael John McCarthy (born November 10, 1963) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). From 2006 to 2018, he was the head coach of the Green Bay Packers. In 2011, he led t ...

named Ryan the fourth inside linebacker on the depth chart behind Clay Matthews, Sam Barrington, and Nate Palmer to begin the regular season. He made his professional regular season debut in the Green Bay Packers' season-opener at the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

and recorded one solo tackle during their 31–23 victory. Ryan was promoted to the third inside linebacker after Sam Barrington suffered a season-ending foot injury during the game. In Week 3, Ryan recorded a solo tackle on special teams as the Packers defeated the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

38–28. He left the game in the third quarter after sustaining a

hamstring In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury. In quadrupeds, ...

injury and was sidelined for the next two games (Weeks 4–5). On November 8, 2015, Ryan recorded a season-high ten combined tackles during a 37–29 loss at the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

. In Week 10, Ryan made his first career start after defensive coordinator

Dom Capers Ernest Dominic Capers (born August 7, 1950) is an American football coach who is a senior defensive assistant for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the inaugural head coach of the Carolina Panthers and ...

elected to start him at inside linebacker over Nate Palmer. He recorded a season-high tying ten combined tackles in the Packers' 27–23 win at the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

. He remained the starting inside linebacker with Clay Matthews for the last five games of the season. Ryan finished his rookie season in with 50 combined tackles (35 solo) and a fumble recovery in 14 games and five starts.

Pro Football Focus Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...

gave Ryan an overall grade of 42.5 for his rookie season. His overall grade was poor due to his issues with pass coverage. The Green Bay Packers finished second in the

NFC North The National Football Conference – Northern Division or NFC North is one of the four divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed the "Black and Blue Division" for the rough and tough ri ...

with a 10–6 record and received a playoff berth. On January 10, 2016, Ryan started his first career playoff games and recorded five combined tackles in a 35–18 victory at the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

in the NFC Wildcard game. They were eliminated after being defeated 26–20 in overtime by the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

in the NFC Divisional round.

2016

During open practices and organized team activities, Ryan and rookie

Blake Martinez Blake Edmon Martinez (born January 9, 1994) is an American former professional football inside linebacker. He attended Canyon del Oro High School in Oro Valley, Arizona before attending Stanford University on a scholarship. At Stanford, he was ...

impressed coaches by developing a rapport and chemistry while they both received first-team at inside linebacker. They were dubbed by "Jake and Blake" by fans, a play on "Shake and Bake", a catchphrase of popularized by the film '' Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby''. Ryan was named the starting inside linebacker with Blake Martinez to start the regular season, with Clay Matthews moving back to starting outside linebacker with Nick Perry. He started the Green Bay Packers' season-opener at the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

and made seven combined tackles and his first career pass deflection during their 27–23 victory. In Week 9, Ryan recorded a season-high 12 combined tackles and broke up a pass as the Packers lost to the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

31–26. On November 13, Ryan suffered an ankle injury during a 47–25 loss at the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

missed the next two games. Ryan finished the season with a career-high 82 combined tackles (57 solo) and three pass deflections in 14 games and ten starts. He received an overall grade of 76.4 from

and was ranked their third most improved second year Player. The Green Bay Packers finished atop their division with a 10–6 record and received a playoff berth. On January 8, 2017, Ryan recorded 12 combined tackles and a career-high three pass break ups in the Packers' 38–13 win against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

in the NFC Wildcard game. After defeating the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

in the NFC Divisional round, the Green Bay Packers lost 44–21 at the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

in the NFC Championship. In the loss to the Falcons, Ryan had four total tackles.

2017

Ryan and Martinez returned as the starting inside linebackers to begin the 2017 regular season. He was sidelined for a Week 3 win against the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

after sustaining a hamstring injury and concussion the previous week. December 3, 2017, Ryan recorded ten combined tackles and made his first career sack on Tampa Bay Buccaneers' quarterback

Jameis Winston Jameis Lanaed Winston ( ; born January 6, 1994) is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State, where he became the youngest player to win the He ...

during a 26–20 victory. In Week 16, Ryan collected a season-high 11 combined tackles in the Packers' 16–0 loss to the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

. He finished the season with 81 combined tackles (52 solo) and a sack in 15 games and 12 starts.

gave Ryan an overall grade of 82.1, which ranked 19th among all qualified linebackers in 2017. The Green Bay Packers did not qualify for the playoffs after they finished third in the NFC North with a 7–9 record. Offensive coordinator

Edgar Bennett Edgar Bennett III (born February 15, 1969) is an American football coach and former running back who is the wide receivers coach for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). Bennett played college football at Florida State ...

and defensive coordinator

were both fired at the end of the season.

2018

On July 30, 2018, Ryan suffered a knee injury in training camp and was carted off the field. On August 1, an MRI revealed that he suffered a

torn ACL An anterior cruciate ligament injury occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is either stretched, partially torn, or completely torn. The most common injury is a complete tear. Symptoms include pain, an audible cracking sound during inju ...

, keeping him out the rest of the year.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On March 19, 2019, Ryan signed with the

. He was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list on August 31, 2019 to start the season. He was activated on November 30, 2019. He was placed back on injured reserve on December 10, 2019. On February 24, 2020, the Jaguars declined the option on Ryan's contract, making him a free agent.

Baltimore Ravens

Ryan signed with the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

on May 4, 2020. He was released on June 11 with a non-football injury designation.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

Personal life

Ryan comes from a family of football players: older brother Connor ( wide receiver) and younger brother Zack (

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

) played for Ball State; father, Tim, was a wide receiver at Wake Forest (1980–84); maternal grandfather, Francis E. Sweeney, an

Ohio Supreme Court The Ohio Supreme Court, Officially known as The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a ...

justice, played

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

for Xavier as well as in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

. Ryan is

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

References

External links

Green Bay Packers bio

Ryan
at

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Ryan
at

CBS Sports CBS Sports is the sports division of the American television network CBS. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on W 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on W 5 ...

Ryan
at

Ryan archive
at ''

Michigan Daily ''The Michigan Daily'' is the weekly student newspaper of the University of Michigan. Its first edition was published on September 29, 1890. The newspaper is financially and editorially independent of the University's administration and other st ...

''
Ryan archive
at ''

AnnArbor.com ''AnnArbor.com'' was an online newspaper that covered local news of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the surrounding Washtenaw County. In 2013 ''AnnArbor.com'' was transitioned to MLive.com along with Advance Publications other Michigan newspapers an ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, Jake 1992 births Living people American football linebackers Baltimore Ravens players Green Bay Packers players Jacksonville Jaguars players Michigan Wolverines football players People from Fairview, Ohio People from Westlake, Ohio Players of American football from Ohio Sportspeople from Cuyahoga County, Ohio