JJ Watt Supports Former Teammate DeMeco Ryans for Texans Coaching Job

As the Texans are once again looking for a new head coach, they completed an interview with a highly-sought-after candidate on Friday. Current 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans was the latest coach to talk with Houston about the opening.

Houston knows Ryans well, as he played linebacker for the Texans from 2006 to ’11 and was one of the best players in franchise history. Therefore, former Texans star JJ Watt knows him well, and the future hall-of-famer put his stamp of approval on a potential Ryan hire.

“As [a] rookie in Houston, I bought my first house across the street from DeMeco because if Meco thought it was the right place to live, it was the right place to live for me,” Watt said in a tweet. “Captain, leader, smart, tough, personable, crushed it as DC…He will be a great head coach.”

Ryans is the Texans’ franchise leader in solo tackles, and played the bulk of his career in Houston before entering coaching with San Francisco in 2017. He rose to defensive coordinator quickly and in 2022–23 coached a top-five defense for a second straight season.

Watt, meanwhile, is probably the best player in Texans franchise history, so his opinion means more than that of the typical former player.