San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator and ex-Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker DeMeco Ryans is in the mix for at least four NFL head coaching jobs, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Ryans interviewed with the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos and has remaining interviews with the Arizona Cardinals and Indianapolis Colts ahead of San Francisco’s playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys.
“He’s going to do the remaining interviews tomorrow prior to kickoff against the Cowboys,” Fowler said Saturday on SportsCenter. “People around the league believe he has traction in Houston. He played there for six seasons — a good player —and is well respected. … Ryans will be firmly in the mix for multiple jobs.”
Ryans coached inside linebackers with the 49ers from 2018-20 before he rose to defensive coordinator on Kyle Shanahan’s staff in 2021. San Francisco reached the NFC title game in Ryan’s first season as defensive coordinator in 2021, but lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angles Rams.
As a player, Ryans was a two-time Pro Bowler and the 2006 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. Ryans played 10 seasons and registered 970 tackles, 13.5 sacks, seven interceptions and seven forced fumbles. He played with the Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles in his career.
The Texans took Ryans as a second-round pick out of Alabama in the 2006 NFL Draft. With the Crimson Tide, Ryans was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2005 and was also an unanimous All-American that same season. The Crimson Tide won 10 games that year, capped off with a Cotton Bowl victory against Texas Tech, but wins from that season were later vacated.
As for the vacancies Ryans is linked to, the Texans and Broncos both fired their respective head coaches after one season on the job. Nathaniel Hackett was at the helm in Denver and Lovie Smith in Houston before each was relieved of their duties. The Cardinals, meanwhile, fired Kliff Kingsbury after four seasons as head coach. The Colts fired Frank Reich midseason, ending a tenure that dated back to 2018.
