The Houston Texans and San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans reportedly have mutual interest, and many believe it’s only a matter of time before he’s the franchise’s fourth coach in four seasons. Ryans, fresh off leading the dominant Niners defense to the NFC Championship Game, is now available to become a head coach.
Following Sunday’s disappointing 31-7 NFC Championship Game loss to the Eagles, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted this.
“Houston Texans now are expected to pursue 49ers’ defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans to try to make him their next head coach.”
DeMeco Ryans Head Coach Of Texans?
Ryans will interview with the team that drafted him in 2006, and the expectation is he’ll land the job. He’s arguably the top candidate in the pool this offseason, with the Saints reportedly wanting first-round picks for the rights to their former coach Sean Payton.
Should Ryans Want Texans Job?
The Houston Texans haven’t had the best track record as pertains to Black head coaches. The past two seasons the franchise hired David Culley, a longtime assistant who’d never been a coordinator. He was fired after one season on the job. They then promoted Lovie Smith from associate head coach and defensive coordinator to head coach. And after one season they moved on from him. In essence, it looks like the Texans used those two Black coaches to tank and rake in draft capital.
That probably won’t be the case with Ryans, who’s a lot younger than the aforementioned Culley and Smith. Also Ryans just led the league’s best defense the past two seasons, and probably could’ve become a head coach after last season’s run to the NFC Championship Game as well.
Houston needs a young, vibrant coach to lead, and Ryans seems ready to assume that role.
With all the cap space and draft capital, the Texans have, Houston has a chance to change the trajectory of their dormant franchise.
Ryans And Texans Were Once At Odds
As a member of the Eagles in 2014, Ryans tore his ACL on the turf at NRG Stadium home of the Texans. In 2016, a lawsuit seeking $10 million was filed, as Ryans claimed the injury was caused “due to the dangerous condition of the field.”
The statement at the time read like this.
“The Achilles injury at NRG Stadium prematurely ended DeMeco’s noteworthy NFL career,” the lawsuit read. “But for the NRG Stadium field, DeMeco would have, in reasonable probability remained in the league for another five years.”
Following years of back-and-forth litigation, the NFL and Texans were dropped from the suit. Ryans reportedly reached an agreement with Harris County, the stadium management company, and the company who installs the turf.
The @NFLGameDay Notebook with @MikeGarafolo and @TomPelissero: #49ers DC DeMeco Ryans is the clear front-runner for the #Texans HC job; The #Bucs are not ruling out a Tom Brady return in OC search; All about the #Broncos secret meeting with #Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh this week. pic.twitter.com/idD8LAbHp3
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 29, 2023
Now that all that seems to be behind the two sides, the expectancy is that an agreement will be reached this week making the former 2006 Defensive Rookie of the Year the next head coach of the Houston Texans and just the third Black head coach in the league.
