NEWSLETTER
Once thought to be a prime destination for former Saints head coach Sean Payton to land, the Denver Broncos seem to have shifted their focus. Denver NFL reporter Benjamin Albright tweeted last night that Sean Payton’s market is “drying up.”
Now, another Denver reporter has 49ers DC DeMeco Ryans as a strong candidate for the Broncos job. Mike Klis of Fox 9 in Denver called Ryans a top candidate in a story posted this afternoon.
Klis says that 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans has emerged as a top candidate to become the Denver Broncos’ next head coach.
Cowboys’ defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, Sean Payton, and Jim Caldwell are three names that Klis tabbed as in the running still.
Klis says that Broncos’ owner Greg Penner has spent the last few days regrouping after their first round of interviews. If Penner wants to interview Ryans again, he’ll have to wait until next week. The 49ers play the Eagles in the NFC Championship on Sunday.
If there is a second meeting, fellow owners Rob Walton and Carrie Walton Penner are expected to be involved. Ryans is also likely to be a top candidate for the Texans’ head coaching job. The Texans drafted Ryans in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft.
Ryans was requested by four of the five teams looking for head coaches but canceled interviews with the Cardinals and Colts. Denver was expected to value experience in the hire after a string of three straight head coach hires with no experience. None of which yielded a winning season in Denver. However, Ryans has been a strong interviewee at every stop. Perhaps strong enough to make Denver pivot from that original goal.
It seems like Ryans will be a head coach come 2023. The question now is, where.
