DeMeco Ryans probably knows Emmanuel Moseley as well as any coach would, so his praise of the new Lions cornerback should not be taken lightly.
If not for suffering a torn ACL last October, cornerback Emmanuel Moseley would have surely gotten a solid multi-year deal on the free agent market in March. But he ended up with a one-year deal from the Detroit Lions as they remodeled their secondary.
Moseley had a promising update on his rehab after he was signed, which fosters the idea he’ll be able to suit up Week 1. And given that he’s managed to last now into his sixth NFL season after coming into the league as an undrafted free agent, don’t count that possibility out.
DeMeco Ryans is the Houston Texans new head coach, as he returns to the team that drafted him as a player. But he was on the San Francisco 49ers coaching staff for the last six years, with the last two as the defensive coordinator
DeMeco Ryans took an opportunity to praise Emmanuel Moseley
Ryans overlapped completely with Moseley in San Francisco, so he got an up close look him and knows him well.
And it’s safe to say Ryans is a big fan of Moseley.
During a recent press conference, via Jeff Risdon of Lions Wire, Ryans took an opportunity to heap a lot of praise on Moseley.
"In Emmanuel, Detroit is getting a tough, hard-nosed corner. E-Man, he’s battle-tested,” “He’s played in big games, he’s played on the big stage, and he has big-time play-making ability. I’m happy for E-Man.”To see him go from an undrafted free agent and the battle that he’s went through up and down his career with injuries, I’m happy to see him get a shot there in Detroit, and you’re getting an unbelievable off the field and you’re also getting a competitor in practice each and every day. E-Man is a competitor. Every rep is a game rep to him, and that’s what set him apart and allowed him to make it in the NFL.”"
Given their history, even though Ryans was the 49ers’ inside linebackers coach before replacing Robert Saleh as defensive coordinator, Ryans’ praise of Moseley should not be discounted. In the appropriate public moment a coach will always praise a player they have been around before, but it isn’t always extensive or long-winded so as not to potentially reveal their true feelings.
But Ryans has a nickname for Moseley (“E-Man”), and did a deeper dive into his practice habits when the opportunity struck. Those things feel rooted in genuine coach-to-player respect, and it’s another sign Moseley will fit right in with what the Lions are building.