Houston Texans Sign DeMeco Ryans to 6-Year HC Deal
NFL Conference Championship - The Houston Texans have signed former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans to a six-year head coaching contract, according to a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter.
After a ten-year playing career, Ryans was hired by the San Francisco 49ers as a defensive quality control coach in 2017. He was promoted to inside linebackers coach in 2018 and was hired as the defensive coordinator in 2021 after Robert Saleh's departure. The 49ers have finished top-ten in defensive DVOA in both years under Ryans, leading the league in defensive DVOA in 2022.
Ryans will join a Houston Texans team that has finished 22nd or worse in defensive DVOA each of the last four years.
As a player, Ryans was drafted in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans, winning Defensive Rookie of the Year and earning a first-team All-Pro nomination with the team.
Comments
38 comments, Last at 10 Feb 2023, 1:23am
#23 by BigRichie // Feb 01, 2023 - 12:36pm
He had great talent to work with, and started off with the defense another talented DC originally built.
That said, I do like the hire. (and glad he got 6 years, which I figure does mean he has 3 to work with anyway)
#7 by theslothook // Jan 31, 2023 - 6:45pm
I can see the synergy with Demeco and the Texans. But still, Demeco is a top candidate; I sincerely hope this was not the only opportunity realistically out there for him.
And given their history, I would not be shocked at all if he gets fired next year since that has been perfectly in keeping with this ridiculous franchise.
#12 by mrh // Jan 31, 2023 - 9:57pm
Six years on the contract: in a normal franchise, the assumption would be the owner/GM told Ryans he'd have time to do a proper re-build. But these are the Texans. Still, the length may not increase his job security but it cushions against any quick firing.
#38 by matu_72 // Feb 10, 2023 - 1:23am
Based on the reports out there, the Broncos really wanted him. But he turned that down for the Houston job. I'm guessing that the appeal for him was more personally related. He played most of his career there, and made his name there as well. His wife is also from Houston.
I think we forget sometimes that these guys are human. Sometimes they're going to base their decisions, in part, on the personal appeal of their options.
#15 by carlosla // Jan 31, 2023 - 10:27pm
Good hire, and goes w/o saying that it’s nice to see someone not from the white boys club.
6 years though? Wow, this is a strange corner of the labor market. There are only 32 of these jobs in the world. I’d think the demand side would have much more leverage than that.
#16 by carlosla // Jan 31, 2023 - 10:27pm
Good hire, and goes w/o saying that it’s nice to see someone not from the white boys club.
6 years though? Wow, this is a strange corner of the labor market. There are only 32 of these jobs in the world. I’d think the demand side would have much more leverage than that.
#22 by Lost Ti-Cats Fan // Feb 01, 2023 - 12:20pm
Seems like a good move for both sides. Some reasonable possible outcomes for Ryans:
- He turns things around quickly and is pretty much set for life on the "turned around a broken franchise" reputation.
- He gets fired in a couple of years and it gets forgiven as "oh well, it was the Texans" and he finds a new DC job soon thereafter.
- He actually gets 3-4 years and has a chance to show what he can do as a head coach. Maybe it works out, maybe it doesn't, but he gets a real shot and enough time to put his stamp on the team.
- He actually gets 3-4 years but the GM f's up the roster build so badly that the talent level never improves to the point of Ryans' being able to show what he can or can't do as a head coach. This is the only outcome that would be truly bad for Ryans.
On the Texans' side, it's pretty simple:
- Ryans works out according to our internal criteria.
- Ryans doesn't work out according to our internal criteria and we're out some money that doesn't count against the cap so we'll just try again.
#27 by Hoodie_Sleeves // Feb 01, 2023 - 2:45pm
- He gets fired in a couple of years and it gets forgiven as "oh well, it was the Texans" and he finds a new DC job soon thereafter.
DC job, sure - but teams don't seem to care about this for HC jobs. HC candidates seem to get one mulligan, and if you don't succeed the second time, you don't get another shot. Blowing that mulligan on a team that's a mess seems foolish.
I didn't follow Houston at all this year - but it looks like they've got the 31st offense, and 22nd defense? (and great special teams) - that's a tough place to be. Even if he makes major improvements on the defense, they still may not win many more games. He needs major improvement everywhere.
That being said - flipside is weak division, and tons of draft picks.