Report: The 49ers are expected to promote LB Coach DeMeco Ryans to DC

The New York Jets announced that they hired 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh on Thursday night. ESPN’s Adam Schefter and multiple reports say that San Francisco is expected to promote linebacker coach DeMeco Ryans to Saleh’s former position. That would be a seamless transition for all parties to keep their defensive coordinator position in-house.

Ryans joined the staff with Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch in 2017 and have made an impression on both the coaches and the players. He was a defensive quality control coach in 2017 and has served as the team's inside linebackers coach for the past three seasons.

It was evident early on that Ryans wouldn’t be a position coach for long. Ryans played 12 years in the NFL, and you can tell by his approach to each practice. I could only imagine how impressive of a coach he is behind closed doors.

Ryans had a great defensive coordinator to learn from as far as preparation goes. He also knows the personnel better than any outsider would. Ryans doesn’t have to play catch-up. I’m interested in seeing how Ryans adds his own twist to this defense or try to alter the personnel. We’ll find out soon enough. Congrats to DeMeco, who is 36-years-old.