DeMeco Ryans is coming home.
The Houston Texans have named the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator as their sixth full-time coach in team history.
Ryans comes to Houston as one of the most sought after coaching candidates on the market, the best coaching assistant in football according to the Pro Football Writers of America, and with an enormous amount of fanfare from Texans fans everywhere who associate his presence with a much better time in Houston football history.
The 38-year-old will be tasked with turning around a Houston team that hasn’t won more than four games in each of the last three seasons. General manager Nick Caserio has assembled a bevy of draft capital and the two will work together to try to build a contender in the AFC South, a conference that for the moment appears beyond opening for the taking.
Despite any excitement from within the building about the caliber of coaching candidate landed, or any excitement from the fanbase on what Ryans return means to the franchise, it’s possible nobody is more excited than the young defensive players currently rostered by Houston.
Ryans arrival could signal the type of coaching and schematics that could elevate their careers.
Former third overall selection Derek Stingley only played in nine games last season largely due to a hamstring strain, but his rookie season was a mixed bag. He flashed the talent that had him drafted so highly after leaving LSU but also displayed some durability concerns and often looked under-utilized in Lovie Smiths’ corner-hiding Tampa 2 scheme. Stingley immediately projects as the most talented corner that Ryans will ever have had the opportunity to coach around. Watching how the defensive mastermind utilizes Stingley’s athletic ability and natural propensity to cover in man coverage could change the national perception around the pick.
Safety Jalen Pitre had a fantastic rookie year. The Baylor product gathered 147 tackles and PFWA all-rookie first-team safety while often looking like the standout player of Houston’s young team. Next year represents an opportunity for Pitre to clean up some missed tackling issues, where he led the league, and take the next step forward. Nobody may be better positioned to aid in that transition than Ryans. Safety Talanoa Hufanga developed from fifth-round pick to first-team All-Pro under the watch of his defensive coordinator, Pitre will receive that same level of coaching.
Nobody used their linebackers to their strengths quite like San Francisco did last season and certainly it’s easy to imagine Ryans will do the same with linebacker Christian Harris. Role players like Thomas Booker will look to take the next steps in a similar way that Charles Omenihu did so with the 49ers last season.
All together, the 2022 rookie class already looks like a good one for the Texans. It might look a whole lot better with Ryans.
