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After firing Steve Wilks following their loss in the Super Bowl, the San Francisco 49ers have found their next defensive coordinator.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler, the 49ers are promoting defensive passing game coordinator Nick Sorensen and plan to hire former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley to a “prominent” role on Kyle Shanahan’s staff.
Wilks was hired in February 2023 to replace DeMeco Ryans, who was hired as head coach of the Houston Texans.
Even though some of the 49ers’ defensive stats under Wilks didn’t look bad, there did seem to be a disconnect between his style and the team throughout the season. They ranked third in points allowed, eighth in yards allowed per game and fourth in defensive DVOA.
A deeper dive into the numbers shows there was a significant drop off on a per-play basis, particularly against the run. This was very prevalent in their playoff games against the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions, who combined for 312 yards on the ground.
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2022 49ers Defense:
1st in EPA/Play | 2nd in Success Rate
2023 49ers Defense:
10th in EPA/Play | 15th in Success Rate
The 49ers’ run defense took a big step back this past season and their entire unit struggled vs. the Packers and Lions in the playoffs.
Although the 49ers’…
There was also the point in the middle of the season after the 49ers lost three straight games when Wilks moved from the coach’s booth to the sideline. Ryans and Robert Saleh, the team’s previous two defensive coordinators, both coached the unit from the sideline.
Wilks also made several questionable calls throughout the season that seemed to irritate Shanahan. He called for an all-out blitz with 16 seconds remaining in the first half against the Minnesota Vikings that turned into a 60-yard touchdown for Jordan Addison.
Another moment that seemed to bother Shanahan came in the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs. The defense lined up in an all-out pressure look on 2nd-and-6 from the San Francisco 37-yard line when Shanahan called a timeout.
“Yeah, I didn’t like the look they were in, and one of our players looked a little gassed,” Shanahan told reporters about the timeout call a couple days after the game. “I didn’t think I was going to use them all right there. So I thought it’d be a good time to use one.”
When the 49ers were looking to replace Ryans last offseason, Shanahan emphasized they didn’t want to change much from the system they had been running. This seems to be the approach they took in trying to find Wilks’ replacement, as well.
Sorensen joined San Francisco’s coaching staff as a defensive assistant for the 2022 season. He was promoted to defensive passing game coordinator and nickels coach last season.
The 45-year-old has 11 seasons of coaching experience in the NFL. He began as an assistant special teams coach for the Seattle Seahawks in 2013 and eventually worked his way up to becoming their secondary coach.
Staley, who was interviewed for the defensive-coordinator position earlier this week, is returning to the NFC West after spending the past three seasons as Chargers head coach. He rose to prominence during the 2020 season as defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams.
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