D.J. Jones: I Want DeMeco Ryans as Next Broncos HC
If anyone is qualified to speak on DeMeco Ryans, it would be Broncos defensive lineman D.J. Jones, who played the 2021 season under Ryans in San Francisco.
And speak Jones did, stumping via social media for the coveted 49ers defensive coordinator — the league's hottest assistant — to become Denver's new head coach.
"Since we saying who we want as the head coach, I want Meco!" Jones wrote in a recent Instagram post.
A former All-Pro linebacker, Ryans has ascended amid retirement from a quality control coach to the architect of the NFL's fiercest defense, which finished 2023 first in total DVOA; second against the run, and fifth against the pass. At only 38, he's two wins away from a Super Bowl title and already has been nominated for Assistant Coach of the Year.
Ryans is also, reportedly, a "perceived finalist" for the Broncos' head-coaching position after interviewing with the hiring committee last week. The sitdown may have gone well enough that said committee — comprised of CEO Greg Penner, co-owner Condoleezza Rice, and general manager George Paton — is content waiting on Ryans to complete his playoff run with the 49ers.
"Penner, Rice and Paton came away impressed with Ryans during their interview with him last Thursday in the San Francisco Bay area," 9NEWS insider Mike Klis confirmed. "And while Ryans’ coaching resume is thin in terms of experience compared to other NFL head coaches, so was Mike Tomlin’s before the Rooney family was blown away his by clear leadership command and hired him to be the Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coach in 2007."
The Broncos have yet to schedule a second interview with Ryans and cannot meet again until next week, following San Francisco's NFC Championship Game against Philadelphia.
Unfortunately for Denver, this is hardly a one-horse race. As of this writing, Ryans is considered the frontrunner to land with the Houston Texans, where he spent the first seasons of his career and made both of his Pro Bowls.
"Some people around the league believe Ryans, a former Texans standout, is the favorite. He's a fan favorite, too," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Wednesday.
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