[theramswire.usatoday.com] NFC West news: 49ers lose DC DeMeco Ryans to Texans

Cameron DaSilva
January 31, 2023 2:22 pm PT
The San Francisco 49ers have had the Los Angeles Rams’ number in the last three years, particularly on defense. DeMeco Ryans and Robert Saleh were both part of that dominance as the 49ers’ defensive coordinators, but both are now out of the NFC West.

On Tuesday, Ryans agreed to become the Houston Texans’ next head coach, a well-earned promotion for the former Texans linebacker. The 49ers had the No. 1 defense in the NFL last season, the fourth straight year they ranked in the top five in yards allowed. Ryans was with San Francisco from 2017-2022, going from defensive quality control coach to inside linebackers coach to defensive coordinator.



Any time a rival loses an excellent coach, it’s good news for the Rams. They’ll still need to play much better against the 49ers than they have in recent years, but the departure of Ryans helps.

Since 2019, the Rams have scored more than 20 points against the 49ers only twice and are 1-8 in those nine games. They averaged only 15.4 points against the 49ers since 2021, which was the first year Ryans took over as the DC.