With the San Francisco 49ers no longer in contention for the Super Bowl this season, defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans can now focus in full on his pursuit of a head-coaching job in the NFL. Ryans appears to be so close to achieving that dream with his former team, the Houston Texans, zeroing in on him.

“The #Texans and #49ers DC DeMeco Ryans could meet as soon as this afternoon after he handles his SF responsibilities. If all goes well, a hire could be finalized Tuesday or Wednesday, sources say. Their top candidate all along, it appears a homecoming is on its way to happening,” reports Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.

Rapoport also previously revealed that Ryans “has emerged as a top candidate for the Texans,” so the 49ers DC could just be an interview away from making his reunion with Houston official. Under Ryans, the 49ers' defense swallowed opposing offenses alive in the 2022 NFL season. San Francisco entered the playoffs No. 1 in the entire league with just 17.2 points allowed per game. As much as Brock Purdy was celebrated for the success of San Francisco despite the absence of Jimmy Garoppolo, Ryans and the team's defense deserved as much credit — if not more.

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Duplicating that kind of success in the Bay Area to Houston will not be an easy task for Ryan if he does indeed land the job, considering the talent the Texans have at the moment. Nevertheless, Texans defense showed some promise in 2022, even ranking sixth in the NFL in defensive interception rate.

Ryans played for the Texans from 2006 to 2011, earning a pair of Pro Bowl nods along the way and Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.