The San Francisco 49ers are expected to name linebackers coach DeMeco Ryans the team's new defensive coordinator after Robert Saleh was hired as the head coach of the New York Jets, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Ryans, 36, is a former second-round pick of the Houston Texans who played in the NFL from 2006 to 2015 before retiring. It's a quick rise for the Alabama product. Ryans joined the Niners as a defensive quality coach in 2017 and was promoted to inside linebackers coach a year later. Now he takes over a defense that finished fifth overall in 2020.