The Texans have secured their new head coach, as the organization agreed to a six-year contract with DeMeco Ryans earlier today. Now, the organization is shifting the focus to coordinators, and the Texans have already starting compiling a list of candidates for both roles.
[RELATED: Texans Hire DeMeco Ryans As HC]
It sounds like Ryans will presumably bring in his own staff, meaning incumbent offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton will likely be on the outside looking in. The Texans have already started reaching out to potential candidates, with NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reporting (via Twitter) that the organization has requested an interview with 49ers passing game coordinator Bobby Slowik for the OC job. Meanwhile, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports (on Twitter) that the Texans have also requested permission to interview Bengals wide receivers coach Troy Walters for the gig.
Slowik would be a natural fit if Ryans is hoping to implement some of San Francisco’s offensive philosophies. Slowik has been with the 49ers since 2017 and actually started on the defensive side of the ball. He moved to offense in 2019, became an offensive pass game specialist in 2021, and earned the promotion to offensive passing game coordinator in 2022. The 49ers, of course, dealt with a number of injuries at quarterback this past season, but the team still got 29 passing touchdowns (vs. only eight interceptions) from Jimmy Garoppolo and rookie Brock Purdy.
It’s not a huge surprise that Walters is getting a look for an offensive coordinator job. While the Bengals organization has invested plenty of resources into the receiver position, Walters has still gotten the most out of the trio of Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd. The 46-year-old coach doesn’t have much of an NFL coaching resume, but he previously served as offensive coordinator at UCF and Nebraska.
The 49ers didn’t have a defensive coordinator in 2022, with head coach Lovie Smith mostly being responsible for defensive play-calling. With Smith now out of the picture, it sounds like Ryans will be looking for someone to help guide the defense. According to Aaron Wilson of Click2Houston.com (via Twitter), the Texans have interest in Jets safeties coach Marquand Manuel for the defensive coordinator job.
Following an eight-year playing career, Manuel joined the coaching ranks as an assistant special teams coach with the Seahawks in 2012. He worked his way up to become the Falcons’ defensive coordinator from 2017-18, but following a top-10 performance during his first year, Atlanta finished in the bottom five in 2018, leading to his ouster. After a one-year stint as a DBs coach with the Eagles in 2020, Manuel joined Robert Saleh‘s first Jets staff in 2021 and has served as Gang Green’s safeties coach over the past two seasons. The Jets allowed the fourth-fewest yards per game and the third-fewest passing yards per game in 2022, leading to him also garnering an interview for the Panthers’ defensive coordinator job.
The Texans also have interest in 49ers passing game specialist-secondary coach Cory Undlin for the defensive coordinator job, according to Wilson (on Twitter). Besides having worked extensively with Ryans over the past two years, Undlin has experience as a defensive coordinator, having served in the role with the Lions in 2020. Of course, that stint ended with his firing, but Undlin has seemingly rehabilitated his image following two successful seasons in San Francisco. The long-time coach won Super Bowl rings with the Patriots and Eagles, and he’s also head coaching stints with the Browns, Jaguars, and Broncos.
Undlin isn’t the only 49ers defensive coach that Ryans is considering. According to Wilson, the Texnas also have interest in 49ers defensive line coach Kris Kocurek. However, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan is “expected to work to keep his staff intact” following Ryans’ move to Houston. Matt Barrows of The Athletic tweets that Ryans could also recruit 49ers defensive quality control coaches Stephen Adegoke and Andrew Hayes-Stoker to Houston (but presumably not for the DC job).
Mistake- the 49ers had a DC, the Texans did not
DeMeco, bro, make your own staff, and leave Kyle’s guys alone…lol
Unless they are coaches that you vouched for, and you’re the reason that they are even in SF in the first place, then okay take your fellow men with you.
It’s just does not sit right with me though that he’s basically trying to take the entire staff with him..WTF DeMeco!?!
You have to follow the unwritten rules of new coaches and their former teams. You’re allowed to take one coach, and promote him to be the coordinator for whichever side of the ball you’re less experienced in as well..
As far as the other side of the ball, you’re allowed to take one or two coaches that are lower level assistants. For example, like the assistant DL Coach pr something, but DeMeco please don’t take Kocurek!!! lol
But good lord, the 49ers have already had so many of their coaches and front office staff get promotions and hired on elsewhere that they aren’t even allowed to receive both their 3rd Rounders anymore…lol Now, they only get one Third Round pick for DeMeco, Carthon, and McDaniels I think it was last.
Heck, when you include Martin Mayhew, Robert Saleh, Mike McDaniels, Ran Carthon, and now DeMeco Ryans…That is FIVE men they’ve had hired away for higher promotions elsewhere..
Also, I imagine it probably won’t be too long before that number climbs to six when Anthony Lynn gets another HC opportunity elsewhere.
On one hand, it is great for the sport, and I’m genuinely happy these coaches and front office personnel are getting their big breaks. On the other, it is getting very difficult for the 49ers to continue constantly replacing these excellent coaches/front office leaders.
It’s especially difficult when the 49ers cannot go a single season without having at least three-fourths of their entire roster injured at one point or another throughout the course of the season.
Heck, this year, just about every starter and just about every backup missed time due to injuries. There were multiple points where they had to use the 3rd and 4th guys on their depth chart for multiple games at a time, and that wasn’t even including having to rely on their 7th Round QB, that started training camp as their #4 starting QB…/:
Being forced to play Johnson as their QB, and then being forced to play a QB that couldn’t throw the ball even 5 yards in the air was just a HUGE blow to the gut after all they’ve overcome this past season…
The most unamerican take. How dare someone try to give someone a promotion and more money and more opportunity to advance their career. It’s ok to be a fan boy but to write a 12 paragraph comment about how it’s not fair, boo hoo boo hoo, that your favorite team’s coaches are getting promoted is shameful.
How about you take pride that your organization is good at identifying talent and trust the process that they will bring in more good people to continue the plan. Let’s be honest, all these guys are retreads anyway, they didn’t all come up as brand new coaches in SF
It was meant as a light-hearted rambling joke…
It happens to all great coaches and teams, it’s a copycat league, they get their guys plucked…
The article mentioned DeMeco looking at like 4 or 5 different current coaches, so I was just thinking come on DeMeco don’t do the 49ers dirty like that..lol
The only thing I was actually being serious about was all their injuries…Good lord, it’s like they’re cursed or something…
Also, I trust Kyle and John, they always seem to find the right men..Just hate losing DeMeco, but I love it for him. He’s going to be a great HC. Everyone knew he wasn’t going to be the 49ers DC for long.
Even when he was just the LB Coach, most 49ers fans knew he was going to be scooped up as a HC one day. I didn’t know however that he would be so great at making in-game adjustments.
WTF are you talking about?
A very accomplished DC is available, Matt Patricia. Just don’t let him close to the QB
The Texans fan base would riot if they hired anybody that has a hint of Patriots on them. That Patriots South thing needs to go away and never be heard from again.
We should not go for any coordinators from the 49ers. For the OC Texans should look at Eric ballamy or Kliff kingsbury as big name OC’s if we can’t go after them I think we should look at mike Kafka also remember kliff kingsbury has experience coaching smaller QBs if we draft Bryce young. And for the DC if think we should look at Brian Flores or Raheem morris.
Plus I think Matt Patricia is trash even as a DC no coach that was under bill belichick has ever succeeded as a head coach or coordinator outside the patriots system
Long before becoming your head coach at SF, Kyle S was a coach for the Texans. It happens. Deal.