49ers DC DeMeco Ryans Considered Top Head Coaching Candidate, per Report

The former linebacker leads one of the best units in the NFL.

The 49ers defense is one of the best in the league, and it appears that the rest of the NFL is taking notice. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports San Francisco defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans “is in line” to get a head coaching job in 2023.

If a team does hire Ryans as its new head coach, it will be the third consecutive season that a 49ers assistant gets a head coaching job elsewhere. Robert Saleh left San Francisco to take the Jets’ head coaching job in 2021, and former offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel got the Dolphins’ top job this year.

Ryans is in his second season running the 49ers defense, after taking over for Saleh. The former Texans linebacker first got into coaching in 2017 following his retirement as a player, and he worked his way up the San Francisco coaching staff to become a hot head coaching candidate.

The San Francisco defense has been dominant in 2022, allowing just 283.9 yards and 15.8 points per game, both of which lead the league. In 2019, when the 49ers defense led the team to a Super Bowl under Saleh, the unit allowed 281.8 yards and 19.4 points per game. 

The Panthers and Colts are the two teams that already fired their coaches this season, and there almost certainly will be a few more when the regular season concludes.