SANTA CLARA — Defensive end Nick Bosa, the constant recipient of praise from the 49ers’ coaching staff, provided a strong endorsement to the man in charge of the team’s defense.
Defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans figures to be on the short list of every NFL team with an opening for head coach. Clearly, Bosa does not expect Ryans to remain with the 49ers beyond this season.
"Just the way he is as a coach and a leader is, he’s the best coach I’ve been around,” said Bosa, a leading candidate for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
“I can say that, yeah, defensive coordinator, for sure. I’ve had D-line coaches, but as a defensive coordinator, (he is) easily the best one I’ve ever been around.”
Ryans, 38, was promoted from linebackers coach to defensive coordinator after the New York Jets hired Robert Saleh as head coach in 2021.
Ryans played 10 seasons in the NFL with Houston and Philadelphia. After concluding his playing career in 2015, he joined Kyle Shanahan’s first staff with the 49ers in 2017 as an entry-level quality control coach.
San Francisco 49ers
What separates Ryans is his combination of navigating the personalities on the team while also teaching and correcting the schematics of his system, Bosa said.
Under Ryans’ guidance, the 49ers rank No. 1 in the NFL in yards allowed (290.3 per game) and points allowed (15.3).
“I think he has really figured out how to perfectly push us but not push us too hard and not give us too much credit,” Bosa said.
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Bosa said he has recognized how Ryans is constantly improving as a coach, too.
“It seems simple, but it’s really not,” Bosa said. “He’s gotten better at it. I think he’s getting better, just like us as a defense.”