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DeMeco Ryans is considered the favorite for the Houston Texans head coaching vacancy

DeMeco Ryans on the sideline coaching 49er players in 2021 season as defensive coordinator

He spent his first six NFL seasons (2006-11) as a player for the Houston Texans, but is DeMeco Ryans returning to the team that drafted him as its new head coach?

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Ryans is considered the favorite for the Texans head coaching vacancy.

Ryans won the NFL’s Assistant Coach of the Year Award. He’s been the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers in the last two years.

He coached the 49ers defense to the NFC Championship Game. Ryans is well respected by his peers, and he was selected in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. As a University of Alabama alum, the Bessemer (Ala.) native earned two Pro Bowl selections (2006-07), All-Pro First Team (2007), and NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (2006) in his time with the Texans as a player.

If Ryans gets the job, Houston could take Bryce Young as its quarterback in the NFL Draft.

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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine.  You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.

Stephen Smith is a 2015 graduate of the University of Alabama. He is a senior writer and reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He has covered Alabama football for 10+ years and his knowledge and coverage of the Crimson Tide's program have made him among the most respected journalist in his field. Smith has been featured on ESPN and several other marquee outlets as an analyst.

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