DeMeco Ryans, the defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers, is living something of a dream right now.
He is in charge of the best defense in the NFL with a real shot at winning the Super Bowl in the coming weeks, and sometime in the next several months, he could end up becoming a head coach.
Ryans joined the 49ers in 2017 as a defensive quality control coach after a successful 10-year career as a middle linebacker, and he got promoted into his current role last season.
In recent days, the team has received requests from opposing squads to interview Ryans for a head coaching gig, and he says he is thankful for such opportunities.
DeMeco Ryans says it's "humbling" to get requests for head-coaching interviews and he's "thankful" for the opportunities pic.twitter.com/A93QnB4opP
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) January 11, 2023
The two teams who have asked the Niners for permission to interview Ryans could certainly benefit from his acumen.
1. Denver Broncos
The Broncos have just mercifully ended a disastrous season that was supposed to be filled with many wins and highlights, not to mention a shot at the world championship.
Instead, they finished 5-12 and finished last in points scored.
Ryans may not be an offensive coach, but he has seen the Niners improve their offense throughout this season, going from mediocre to pretty excellent on that side of the ball.
Ever since Brock Purdy took over under center in Week 13, they have scored over 30 points in five of their last six games.
Denver QB Russell Wilson looked like a shadow of his previous self for most of the year, but he looked spry in the team’s Week 18 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, which has given it a bit of hope for 2023.
2. Houston Texans
The other team interested in hiring Ryans is his original team, the Texans, a team he played his first six seasons with.
They finished 3-13-1 and although they may have a building block in running back Dameon Pierce, they have a lot of work to do, especially on defense.
The fact that Ryan is just 38 years of age could make him a good fit for a Houston team that will be looking to build a winner over the long term.
