3 moves SF 49ers should make to shake up front office
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: SF 49ers should promote DeMeco Ryans to defensive coordinator
If there’s one almost-given outcome this offseason, it’s Robert Saleh going elsewhere in 2021 as a head coach.
That’ll leave a tremendous void for San Francisco, as Saleh has developed and matured as a defensive coordinator since taking over the role in 2017. The players respect him and respond to him, and Kyle Shanahan has never shied away from offering his own endorsements.
There could be some outside candidates for the job, but one name who should get first-look consideration is current SF 49ers linebackers coach DeMeco Ryans, who carved out an excellent pro career with the Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles before joining the Niners coaching staff in 2017.
“Of course, I’d consider DeMeco,” Shanahan told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco. “It’s only a matter of time before DeMeco’s a coordinator in this league, and it’s a matter of time before DeMeco’s going to be a head coach.”
Other former San Francisco players also offered up their endorsements of Ryans, too.
Ryans, who’ll now stem from both the Shanahan and Saleh coaching trees, already has the knowledge of the current system in place, although the SF 49ers don’t necessarily have to stick to it.
But if continuity is important, Ryans would be an excellent choice.