DeMeco Ryans Reportedly DENIED The Broncos To Take The Texans' Head Coaching Job, Which Could Make Him A Franchise-Defining Legend
With some of the ugly, disingenuous one-and-done head coaching hires the Houston Texans have pulled the past two offseasons, you could see why DeMeco Ryans or any other candidate would sprint in the other direction.
However, the Texans have made serious strides even as they've half-assed their last two hires at Ryans' new position, namely getting rid of scumbag quarterback Deshaun Watson and the distinctly weird EVP of football operations Jack Easterby.
Against all odds, I think the third time's the charm for Houston when it comes to this coaching cycle. They self-sabotaged themselves into the perfect window to hire one of the hottest defensive coaching candidates I can recall in recent years. Like, if this is true, that Ryans was the Denver Broncos' first choice before they, ahem, settled (!?!?) on Super Bowl-winning coach Sean Payton, then my, oh my, what a hell of a fire by the Texans.
Ryans served as coordinator for the 49ers' elite unit in 2022 as well as the year before. What's incredible is, Ryans is only turning 39 in July amid a staggering ascent up the coaching ranks for a former All-Pro linebacker who played in the NFL as recently as 2015!
If you didn't really know the early days of the Houston Texans franchise, the first names that pop out at you are probably David Carr, Andre Johnson, Matt Schaub, JJ Watt (a little later on) and, well, DeMeco Ryans. Houston drafted their newly-minted-coach in the second round with the 33rd overall pick in 2006, and he proceeded to be the Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Speaking of the recently retired Watt, talk about a ringing endorsement for DeMeco:
Pretty baller-ass move for Ryans to head back to H-Town when a probably more lucrative opportunity awaited him in Denver. Beyond the obvious appeal of the Texans owning the No. 1 overall pick No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, they play in an AFC South division that, let's say, lacks the high-end talent of many other corners of the league. With just one offseason of decent roster upgrades and Ryans pushing the right buttons, it's fair to say Houston could see a pretty quick turnaround.
Seriously though, DeMeco Ryans back home to drag the Texans to respectability? Imagine if he builds a consistent winner there, or hell, wins a Super Bowl! To have begun your playing career for six solid years with one team, become their head coach barely over a decade later, and then get them to contention to a degree you weren't in position to as a player? Hard to imagine a more gratifying prospective achievement if you're Ryans, deciding between a pretty blank canvas in Houston or the Russell Wilson-led Broncos.
Ryans' hiring is obviously a big moment for minority NFL head coaching candidates. The vast majority of top minority assistants come from the defensive side of the ball, which is at odds with where the sport is headed. Almost everyone is seeking out the next bright offensive mind. Just goes to show how strong the genuine belief is in Ryans that he can build a winning program.
I've learned not to expect too much from the Texans, but I won't be able to help myself but root for Ryans to have raging success in his homecoming, turn that motherfucker around in Houston, and uplift that floundering franchise.
Still can't get over it. DeMeco went "TEXANS > BRONCOS" and turned down that Walmart Monopoly money when Denver was ready to go "DeMeco > Payton"…WHAT.
Twitter @MattFitz_gerald/TikTok