The Denver Broncos head-coaching position remains conspicuously vacant on the heels of the NFL's Conference Championship Game weekend, which saw one highly-coveted candidate get ejected from the playoffs.
San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans is suddenly available, but Broncos Country would be wise not to get its hopes up. According to the Denver Gazette's Woody Paige — a long-time, bonafide insider — Ryans has informed the Broncos that he is withdrawing his name from considering for head coach.
"DeMeco Ryans tells Broncos he is not interested. He was their third No. 1 choice," Paige tweeted on Monday.
Shortly after Paige's tweet, and sans a consummated deal with the Houston Texans, ESPN's Josina Anderson went to bat for Ryans to refute the claim that he's out in Denver.
"I’m told the Denver Broncos have not received notification that DeMeco Ryans has withdrawn from its head coach search. The organization is continuing the process of evaluating candidates, per league source," Anderson tweeted.
Clear as mud.
It could be that Anderson's tweet came from Ryans' camp because he doesn't want to lose what leverage he has with the Texans. If push comes to shove, and it appears that it is here, Paige's track record and proximity to the Broncos should carry more weight than Anderson's, the latter of whom covers the NFL on a national level.
Ryans, a former Texans draft pick and Pro Bowl linebacker, is the No. 1 candidate for many teams. And it's possible he was for Denver, too.
But it sounds like the Broncos are still holding out hope for Jim Harbaugh. But it'll take a boat-load of cash to coax him out of Michigan and to go back on his word that he's sticking around the college ranks for 2023.
Some insiders feel like a Broncos hire announcement could come as soon as Tuesday. Stay tuned.
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