The Houston Texans have a new head coach, as they officially hired DeMeco Ryans on Tuesday.
He took to Twitter to let Texans fans know that he has returned to his first NFL home.
🗣️🗣️🗣️ @DRyans59 pic.twitter.com/PiZhMcC0E7
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) January 31, 2023
Ryans spent 10 seasons in the league as an inside linebacker, and his first six seasons were spent with the Texans, who took him in the second round of the 2006 draft.
He won the Defensive Rookie of the Year award that year, and he made his first of two Pro Bowls the next season as he became a franchise pillar.
The Texans, who were then a relatively new expansion franchise, eventually improved and ended up making the playoffs for the first time in 2011.
After his last season, which came with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015, Ryans was hired by the San Francisco 49ers in 2017 to be part of head coach Kyle Shanahan’s staff.
He started out as defensive quality control, then became an inside linebackers coach before being promoted to defensive coordinator for the 2021 season.
Under his leadership, the Niners built what is universally considered the best defense in the NFL, and Texans fans are hoping some of that rubs off on their squad, as it was just 27th in points allowed and 30th in total yards allowed in 2022.
They are in the midst of a long-term rebuilding process, as they traded franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns less than a year ago, and they badly need talent on the offensive side of the football.
But with Ryans at the helm, the Texans have a good start toward building a winning culture.
