Jets coach Rex Ryan is a Brown for a day with his retro Ozzie Newsome jersey. (Ben Liebenberg/NFL)

INDIANAPOLIS — Jets coach Rex Ryan gave props to an old friend Saturday at the NFL Scouting Combine, hitting morning workouts at Lucas Oil Stadium wearing an Ozzie Newsome jersey from the Hall of Famer’s days as a Browns tight end.

Ryan and Newsome know each other well from the coach’s tenure as defensive guru in Baltimore, where Newsome serves as general manager and has been a front-office gem since 1996.

Before he helped draft and design one of the league’s top defenses, Newsome helped transform the tight end position. Selected by the Browns in the first round of the 1978 NFL Draft, Newsome spent 13 years in Cleveland, catching 662 passes for 7,980 yards and 47 touchdowns. He caught a pass in 150 consecutive games.

– Marc Sessler

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