DeMeco Ryans didn’t need the right amount of guys from the San Francisco 49ers to join him with the Houston Texans; he only needed the right guy.
Ryans, who was the 49ers’ defensive coordinator from 2021-22, understands that a roster can’t be replete with players who were with him in San Francisco. If Ryans is to turn around the Texans, he will need younger players or current players on the roster to buy in themselves.
“Initially you want to bring guys in who know exactly how I want things done, how our culture will be set,” said Ryans. “You want to bring those guys in but also knowing it doesn’t just work that day.”
The big get for Ryans during the first wave of free agency was former 49ers safety Jimmie Ward. Not only did Ward play for Ryans while he was defensive coordinator, but the former 2014 first-round pick was with San Francisco during Ryans’ entire assistant coaching tenure starting in 2017. At that time, Robert Saleh was the defensive coordinator, and the scheme remained unchanged when Ryans took over after Saleh’s departure for the New York Jets.
Said Ryans: “To be able to get a guy like Jimmie Ward is very vital for our defense. Jimmie is a guy, I feel — he plays safety in our scheme. He’s played nickel. Jimmie is a veteran guy who’s played a lot of football. With the younger guys that we have, we have a very young group, young nucleus of players who are talented. I feel like Jimmie can come in and just help those guys, aside from the football aspect but also just off the field, just how to be a true pro.”
Ward also has some utility in his own right. The 5-11, 195-pound defensive back collected 50 combined tackles, a tackle for loss, two quarterback hits, a forced fumble, five pass breakups, and three interceptions through 12 games, five of which he started.
“To add a safety who can make dynamic plays for us was very vital,” Ryans said.
