The San Francisco 49ers quietly made a big hire for their defensive coaching staff this offseason when they brought in former NFL linebacker DeMeco Ryans. He is serving as the defensive quality control coach, which involves a lot of grunt work in getting information together for the position coaches and defensive coordinator.
Ryans retired from the NFL after the 2015 season, and after sitting out 2016, he joined the 49ers. He is a first-time assistant, but he has a chance to make a significant impact. Linebackers coach Johnny Holland chatted with the media last week, and got several questions about new 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster.