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2022 NFL assistant coach of the year: DeMeco Ryans

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Mike Florio and Peter King explore how DeMeco Ryans’ attitude and leadership will be a seamless fit for the Texans and discuss how the only question remaining is how quickly he can turn the team around.

49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans isn’t a coordinator anymore. His work with the 49ers’ defense earned him a head coaching job with the Texans.

It also won him assistant coach of the year, which was announced Thursday night at NFL Honors.

Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen and Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson were the other finalists for the award.

Ryans oversaw the NFL’s No. 1 overall defense in yards and points in 2022, earning him 35 first-place votes and 206 total points. Johnson finished second with 11 first-place votes and 113 total points, and Steichen received 26 total votes.

Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier (25), Bengals offensive coordinator Lou Anarumo (21) and Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon (18) rounded out the top six.

The Texans named Ryans as the sixth head coach in team history shortly after the 49ers’ loss to the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game. He remains a fan favorite in Houston after six seasons and two Pro Bowls with the team as a player from 2006-11.

Ryans will provide stability to a franchise that has had four head coaches the past three seasons. They fired Bill O’Brien during the 2020 season with Romeo Crennel finishing as the interim coach before David Culley and Lovie Smith became one-and-done head coaches.

Since their last playoff appearance in 2019, the Texans are 11-38-1. They hold the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 draft, having won their last game of the season to lose the No. 1 overall selection to Chicago.

So, Ryans will go into 2023 as one of the favorites for NFL coach of the year.