NEWSLETTER
The next domino in the NFL head coaching cycle has fallen. San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans will be the next head coach of the Houston Texans.
Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter have the report(s):
Ryans, 38, was considered a top candidate for the Denver Broncos and Houston Texans jobs this cycle. Mike Klis of Fox 9 in Denver called Ryans a top candidate in a story posted on Thursday. Rapoport reported that Ryans had emerged as a top candidate for Houston on Friday afternoon.
Ryans was also a candidate for the Minnesota Vikings job last year but declined to continue the interview process in favor of staying in San Francisco.
The 49ers defensive coordinator and former NFL linebacker has been on the radar of all five teams looking for a new head coach this offseason.
Under Ryans, the 49ers led the NFL in yards and points allowed during the regular season. They’ve played 18 games and no opposing runner has surpassed 100 yards or even come close. Vegas’ Josh Jacobs came the closest with 69 yards in Week 17. Jacobs was also the NFL’s leading rusher this season, so it was one of his lowest outputs in 2022.
Ryans was drafted by the Texans in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He spent six seasons in Houston where he won the 2006 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. He also made two Pro Bowl appearances with the Texans and was a second-team All-Pro in 2007.
Ryans will become the third Texans head coach in the past three years after David Culley, and Lovie Smith spent one season-a-piece as the head coach in Houston.
