John Lynch says DeMeco Ryans is a ‘tough guy to replace’, but is excited for Steve Wilks’ hire
Feb 28, 2023, 2:30 PM | Updated: 3:06 pm
Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images
The San Francisco 49ers and general manager John Lynch had to do some retooling on the coaching staff the last month, losing a number of coaches to other positions across the NFL. The biggest was DeMeco Ryans, who became the new head coach of the Houston Texans this offseason.
Ryans has made swift work since joining Houston, poaching coaches from the 49ers and other respected organizations alike. And while Lynch & Co. hate to see another rising star on the coaching staff leave, they couldn’t be happier for their former defensive coordinator.
“He’s got something about him when he walks in a room, he kind of commands that room and does it in a very quiet way, maybe when he was playing that was a little different, the emotion and all that would come, but he’s very calm calculated. He’s very smart. The players love him. They’ll go to all ends to try to make him happy because they know what he’s teaching them is going to lead to success, so DeMeco is going to do a fantastic job as well. Tough guy to replace,” John Lynch said at the NFL Combine Tuesday.
Ryans will indeed be a tough person to replace in San Francisco. But the 49ers feel they got it right with their new guy: Steve Wilks.
Wilks spent last season as a defensive coach with the Carolina Panthers before becoming the interim head coach midseason. The veteran coach is an excellent fit with Kyle Shanahan, using a similar 4-3 defense that the 49ers use as well. That was a big part of the hiring process for the front office this year: Continuity.
“We’re very pleased with [defensive coordinator] Steve Wilks coming in,” Lynch stated. “And Steve is very similar. Steve’s got a presence and we recognized that right away. He’s got a willingness. We were just the number one defense in football, so we don’t want to make wholesale changes, so we needed somebody who had a similar vision on how you play the game.”
Lynch says they’re very happy with Steve Wilks coming in as 49ers’ new DC. Says similar to DeMeco Ryans, Wilks has a presence, quietly commands a room. Tough to lose Ryans but they feel really good about what Wilks will bring.
— Stephania Bell (@Stephania_ESPN) February 28, 2023
The 49ers’ stellar defensive play in 2022 is the ultimate goal for the organization long-term. Having already locked down most of the key members, the hope is that Wilks’ leadership can keep steering the ship in the right direction, potentially to a 2.0 version in 2023.
“We want to improve upon it, and we believe Steve can do that, and he was the best guy for the job. It’s tough to rebound from losing a guy like DeMeco, just as it was with [New York jets HC Robert] Saleh, but we’re hopeful that we can even improve it,” Lynch added.
Click here to watch John Lynch’s full 2023 NFL Combine presser
