It’s easy to question a man who once got a tattoo of his wife wearing a Mark Sanchez New York Jets jersey on his right arm.

Especially after Rex Ryan had to convert it to a Bills jerse a few years later after Gang Green sent him packing as head coach and he subsequently took over in Buffalo. That said, the Grading the Week staff is ready to start a crowd-funding campaign to turn that tat into Broncos orange and blue if it means Ryan is serious about joining Sean Payton’s coaching staff as defensive coordinator — as several reports have suggested.

Rex Ryan rumors — A

Try not to dwell on the fact that it’s been seven years since Ryan roamed an NFL sideline.

Instead, focus on how good Ryan’s defenses were before he hung up his headset and joined ESPN as a studio analyst.

Over a period of six seasons spread across stints as the Baltimore defensive coordinator and Jets head coach in 2005-10, his defenses finished in the top 10 in points allowed five times, including two years at No. 1.

Even more promising: His pass defenses were consistently among the best in the NFL right through his final year in Buffalo, when the Bills were sixth in passing yards and fourth in passing TDs allowed. Not a bad bullet point on the resume for someone who stands to inherit a secondary led by a pair of Pro Bowlers in Pat Surtain II and Justin Simmons.

While the points allowed numbers tailed off in Ryan’s last four years with the Jets — and his two years in Buffalo — the worst one of his defenses ever finished was 24th in his final year in the Big Apple.

By comparison, Vance Joseph, whom Denver reportedly interviewed for the D-coordinator opening this past week, doesn’t have a single top-10 finish in points allowed in his five seasons leading a defense (or two years as a head coach).

Is it possible the NFL passed Ryan by, given his time away? Sure. But it’s not as if he’s been completely unplugged from the league. Thanks to his studio work at the Worldwide Leader, he’s never lost a connection to it.

The best part: With Payton taking care of the offense, Ryan could focus on the thing he knows best.

And, no, we’re not talking about body art.

Calvin Booth — B+

A week ago, the folks inside the Grading the Week offices felt compelled to ding the Nuggets general manager for his meager return in the Bones Hyland trade.

While we stand by the assessment that two second-round picks isn’t nearly enough for a player that young, talented, and cheap, we must also doff our cap in Booth’s direction for what he did with the open roster spot Hyland left behind.

Signing Palmer High graduate Reggie Jackson after his contract was bought out by Charlotte gave the Nuggets something they desperately needed in the wake of Hyland’s exit: a capable backup guard who can thrive off the ball and make big shots in big moments.

If the sole judgment of Booth’s work around the trade deadline is whether his team has a better chance of winning a title than it did two weeks ago, then it can only be deemed a success.

Anna Hall — A+

Here’s a name the rest of America will get to know quite soon — like, say, the summer of 2024 in Pairs.

Anyone who’s paid attention to Colorado high school track and field knew Hall well from her days winning state titles and breaking records at Valor Christian High School. This past week she made noise at the national level, breaking the U.S. record in the women’s pentathlon at the U.S. indoor championships with 5,004 points — just nine shy of the world record.

The 2024 Olympic Games can’t come fast enough.

Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.

Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.