The San Francisco 49ers have preached culture this offseason in concert with the move to bring in John Lynch as the general manager. One man who will now be a part of bringing a winning culture back is former NFL linebacker DeMeco Ryans, who was hired as the team’s Defensive Quality Control coach on Tuesday.
Ryans brings a wealth of NFL experience and leadership to the 49ers as a 10-year linebacker who starred for the Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles. A former NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, he was also an All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowler during the course of his career.
A durable player for most of his career, Ryans appeared in 140 games (139 starts) and registered 735 tackles, 46 passes defensed, 13.5 sacks, 10 fumble recoveries and seven interceptions. His career was cut short after an Achilles injury in 2014 effectively ended his career — something he sued the NFL and Texans for due to the poor field conditions at NRG Stadium.
Ultimately, he was released by the Eagles in February of 2016.
We’ve seen many former players parlay their NFL careers into coaching success. For Ryans, this could be the first stop of many as he works his way into a new world full of possibilities.