Rex Ryan wouldn't be shocked if Ed Reed is a head coach within 5 years

Future Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed broke into the coaching ranks this year when he landed an assistant defensive backs job on Rex Ryan's Buffalo Bills staff.

Though coaches typically have to put in years of work before they'll even be considered for a lead job, Ryan isn't ruling out the possibility that Reed will emerge as the rare exception.

"When we had him his last year with the Jets, he was the pied piper," Ryan at the NFL owners meetings last week, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN. "They all followed him and they all learned the game. And that's why I know this guy's going to be a great coach.

"I would not be shocked if Ed Reed ends up being a head coach within five years. That's how quick this dude's going to rise. Teaching guys how to study tape, how to get things, playing the game."

Still just 37 years old, it appears as though Reed will have every opportunity to put together a lengthy coaching career should he choose to do so.

The longtime Baltimore Ravens safety retired following a 2013 season split between the Houston Texans and New York Jets. He was voted to an impressive nine Pro Bowls over 12 seasons, and his 64 interceptions put him seventh among the NFL's all-time leaders.