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The NFL Honors show is getting underway on NFL Network on Thursday. Before the official show gets started, some awards are being revealed early. Former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans has won the 2022 Assistant Coach of the Year Award.
It wasn't. He was named on 48 of 50 ballots. https://t.co/av71QFJPda
— Jerry McDonald (@Jerrymcd) February 10, 2023
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson finished second in the voting with 113 points, including 11 first-place votes. Shane Steichen, offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles, finished with 26 points. Other assistant coaches that were given first place votes included Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon and Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland. Ryans received 35 first-place votes and earned a total of 206 points to win the award.
Assistant Coach of the Year: 49ers Assistant Coach DeMeco Ryans
Ryans had a talented group around him, but they were just dominant. They gave up the fewest yards per game in the league and only allowed an average of 16.3 points per game, which also ranked as the league’s lowest mark. As a unit, San Francisco allowed the second-fewest rushing yards per game. Defensive end and Defensive Player of the Year candidate Nick Bosa played a large part in that, but Ryans got the job done at every level of the defense. Ryans has since been named the head coach of the Houston Texans due to how well the defensive unit for the 49ers played in 2022.