SANTA CLARA — DeMeco Ryans might have gotten off to a slow start in his first season as 49ers defensive coordinator but Nick Bosa believes that has changed.
The star pass rusher has been supportive of Ryans from the beginning of his tenure but with the defense’s recent success, Bosa believes the coordinator is destined to be a head coach in the near future just like Robert Saleh before him.
“I was actually looking at him and listening to him talk to us before the Texans game,” Bosa said. “I was just thinking, ‘That’s going to be the next head coach somewhere.’ Just the way he addresses the defense and the way he talks and his motivational skills and all that stuff.”
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SIGN UP HERE “I saw that with Saleh and I definitely wouldn’t be surprised if he’s - maybe one more year with us, but I’m sure somebody is going to snag him pretty soon.”
Saleh also had a challenging start with the 49ers as the team attempted to build its roster especially in regards to the defensive line. In his first two seasons as a coordinator under Kyle Shanahan the 49ers defense allowed an average of 409 points.
That number has since decreased greatly to an average of 347 points allowed over the last three seasons.
Ryans' defense, after allowing over 100 yards of rushing or more in seven of the team’s first eight games of the season, has become much more stingy. They have only allowed one team to reach the century mark in the last eight contests -- the Seahawks racked up 146 yards in Week 14.
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In the past three games, the 49ers defense has allowed less than 300 total yards of offense and they rank fifth in the NFL in yards allowed (3,309) through Week 17. While they have had their challenges on the field, to say that things are finally more efficient, is an understatement.
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Maybe part of the growing process was Ryans coordinating and accommodating all of the personalities and schemes on his coaching staff, which includes two former coordinators. Maybe it was the players getting into their groove as the season progressed.
Either way, Ryans has an advocate in Bosa.
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