Like Shooter McGavin with a tournament jacket, the Denver Broncos weren’t going to give up even though they were clearly second place.
The AFC West club was still going hard after San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans on Jan. 31 despite the fact the Houston Texans completed a second interview with him. According to Ian Rapoport from the NFL Network, the Broncos only then turned to Sean Payton as their next coach once Ryans committed to the Texans.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the coaching hires were completely coincidental. It is worth noting Schefter’s career include a stop in Denver as a Broncos beat writer.
Ryans becomes the sixth full-time coach in Texans history, and the third to have a defensive background. The former Texans 2006 second-round pick is also the youngest Houston coach in franchise history at 38 years old.
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