Texans head coach Ryans on 'dream job': 'I'm here, home in H-Town'

The Houston Texans formally introduced DeMeco Ryans as the franchise’s sixth overall head coach on Thursday. 

Ryans, a 2006 second-round selection of the Texans, landed the job after his second interview with the team on Tuesday. 

"I'm here, home in H-Town,” the 38-year-old former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator said, per the Texans’ Twitter account. “It’s a dream job.”

In the midst of a rebuild brought on by the departures of wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins in 2020, defensive end J.J. Watt in 2021 and quarterback Deshaun Watson last year, the Texans hope Ryans will succeed where his predecessors, Lovie Smith and David Culley, have failed. 

Once the team to beat in the American Football Conference South (AFCS) division, the Texans managed to string together 11 wins in the previous three seasons. 

Still, Ryans, who was one of the leaders of the team’s vaunted “Bulls On Parade” defense during the apex of his National Football League (NFL) career, relishes the opportunity. 

“We can win here,” he said, ESPN reported. "And we're going to win here by collaborating, working together and building it the right way with the right people."

According to ESPN, several of Ryans’ former teammates joined him at the introductory press conference at NRG Stadium. 

“It's great to see all you guys here,” he told them. "It means so much to me just to see you guys here and see your faces." 

Ryans was barely a week removed from the 2022-2023 National Football Conference (NFC) championship game in which San Francisco fell to the Philadelphia Eagles, 31-7. 

He presided over a unit that was considered the league’s best for much of the just-concluded regular season. 

The Eagles face off against the Kansas City Chiefs in the big game on Sunday, Feb. 12 in Glendale, Arizona.

Houston ABC affiliate KTRK reported that the press conference began at 3:59 p.m. in a nod to Ryans’ old jersey number. 

Beating out teams such as the Denver Broncos, Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts for his services, the Texans inked their ex-linebacker to a six-year deal for an undisclosed amount. 

One of the first things on Ryans’ to-do list is the franchise’s No. 2 pick in April’s draft. 

Houston is projected to take 2021 Heisman Award winner Bryce Young, the former quarterback for Ryans’ alma mater, the University of Alabama.