Texans BREAKING: Houston Hires DeMeco Ryans As Head Coach
HOUSTON — It's official.
The Houston Texans have hired DeMeco Ryans as their next head coach.
Ryans has signed a six-year deal.
He will be the sixth coach in franchise history following the firing of Lovie Smith on Jan. 8.
Ryans became the Texans' top candidate after a "lengthy and very positive" interview on Jan. 20. And since Ryans became Houston's No. 1 candidate, a source told TexansDaily.com that "players have expressed excitement over DeMeco."
Ryans joined the San Francisco 49ers as a defensive quality control coach in 2017. San Francisco elevated him to linebackers coach the following year. And in 2021, the 49ers made Ryans their defensive coordinator.
The 49ers have held their opponents to an average of 18.9 points over the previous two seasons.
In 2022, San Francisco recorded the second-most takeaways (30) while giving up an average of 16.3 points. With the help of Ryans' defensive schemes, San Francisco finished the season 13-4.
As a player, Ryans began his career as a second-round pick (no. 33 overall) by the Texans in 2006. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in his first season. The following year, Ryans became an All-Pro linebacker in 2007.
He finished his sophomore campaign with 128 tackles, seven pass deflections and 2.0 sacks. Ryans' contributions helped the Texans finish 8-8 for the franchise's first non-losing season.
The Texans traded Ryans to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2012. He retired from playing in 2015.
Ryans was the seventh of eight candidates the Texans interviewed for their coaching vacancy. Houston held second-round interviews with New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero prior to Ryans' hiring.
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