Broncos' Candidate DeMeco Ryans Breaks Silence on HC Subject

DeMeco Ryans had something to say that a team like the Denver Broncos would surely want to hear.

Denver Broncos fans are trying to remain patient in anticipation of who will become the team's next head coach. Taking the measured approach appears to be the chosen tactic of the Broncos CEO Greg Penner. 

Of course, former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton remains the No. 1 target, but the Broncos also are continuing to work through their list of other candidates. One especially intriguing option is San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, who has leaped to prominence on account of how he's managed to marshal the league's top-ranked unit.

Under the tutelage of Ryans, Niners' star pass rusher Nick Bosa led the league in sacks with 18.5. With Ryans calling the defense, the Niners have specialized in consistently terrorizing opposing quarterbacks. 

Bosa has thrived in Ryan's attacking system, and when a potential Defensive Player of the Year speaks so highly of an assistant coach, it tends to put him in the frame for a lucrative, high-profile promotion.

"Just the way he is as a coach and a leader, he's the best coach I've been around," Bosa said via Rich Cimini and Kevin Seifert of ESPN.

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In Ejiro Evero, the Broncos already have a coveted defensive coordinator within their own ranks with his own burning desire to become a head coach in the NFL. So are the Broncos just being extra diligent by interviewing Ryans? 

Evero has been busy conducting his own head-coaching interviews elsewhere, and the Broncos' attempts to hold onto him have even seen them block any lateral moves — which only proves how much the team values him.

Evero (42 years old) and Ryans (38) both have youth on their side, but to their considerable disadvantage, they also have zero experience as head coaches. Previous head-coaching whiffs have meant the Broncos are more of a mind to go after a candidate with experience at this juncture, and perhaps a quarterback expert, such as Payton, who they hope can engineer a quick fix with Russell Wilson.

Such specific requirements will likely rule out Evero, who might stick around in Denver as the DC, but only if the stars align right. As for Ryans, he will continue to try and increase his own marketability as he goes to battle in the Divisional Round of the playoffs this week against the Dallas Cowboys and DC Dan Quinn.

Playoff wins tend to give coaches added confidence and Ryans is certainly no different. Thus, it comes as no surprise that the Niners DC is letting interested teams know that he is more than ready to become a head coach.

"For me, with the head-coaching thing, it's like, 'Are you ready, man?'" Ryans said via ESPN. "Yeah, I'm ready to go do it. ... It'll be the first time. But I figured out everything else. I'm pretty sure I'll figure that out, too."

We can probably file Ryans right next to Evero on the list of long shots to take over in Denver, but their growing reputations are getting pretty hard to ignore.

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