Texans HC Rumors: 49ers' DeMeco Ryans, Eagles' Jonathan Gannon 'Strong Candidates'

San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans and Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon "remain strong candidates" for the Houston Texans' head coaching vacancy, according to Albert Breer of The MMQB.

Per that report, Ryans' history with Texans owner Janice McNair and Gannon's connections to Texans general manager Nick Caserio are among the reasons why they've emerged as enticing options in Houston.

Ryans, 38, spent six seasons as a linebacker for the Texans, winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2006 and earning two Pro Bowl bids with the team. He had four seasons with 100 or more tackles in Houston.

Since retiring, Ryans has caught on as a coach in San Francisco, starting as a defensive quality control coach in 2017 and working his way up to the inside linebackers coach the next season and eventually defensive coordinator in 2021.

His units have been superb, finishing third in yards allowed and ninth in points allowed in 2021 and first in both categories this past season. That has made him one of the hottest young names in coaching circles. A head coaching gig seems inevitable for Ryans at some point.

Gannon, 39, has now met with the Texans three times in the last year for the head coaching position, although he lost out to Lovie Smith last year. It's clear the Texans see him a serious option for the position.

He's spent the past two years as the Eagles defensive coordinator, leading the team to a top-10 finish in yards allowed twice and a top-10 finish in points allowed this past season.

Prior to Philadelphia, he served as a defensive quality control coach for the Atlanta Falcons (2007), a college and professional scout for the Los Angeles Rams (2009-11), a defensive quality control coach for the Tennessee Titans (2012-13), an assistant defensive backs coach for the Minnesota Vikings (2014-17) and a defensive backs coach for the Indianapolis Colts (2018-20).

As for the Texans, there are two major priorities: nailing the coaching hire, and finding a long-term solution at quarterback.

"I have a responsibility, and I understand, let's be real, let's be honest, the clock is ticking," Caserio told reporters last week. "Time is short, but that's OK. We work in a high-pressure environment. The expectations are high, and it's about performance. If I don't do my job well enough, and quite frankly, some probably think I haven't done my job well enough at this point, and that's more than fair."

Other coaches to have interviewed or have received interview requests with Houston include Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and Los Angeles Rams tight ends coach and assistant head coach Thomas Brown.