With the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator spot now open, a new report claims the organization could fill the position by hiring a head coach who was fired this past year.
Just days after the 49ers blew a late lead and fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII, head coach Kyle Shanahan took the bold step of making a huge change on his coaching staff by cutting ties with defensive coordinator Steve Wilks.
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While the move was not completely shocking, it was still viewed by some around the NFL as an unnecessary decision since the San Francisco defense was again one of the best in the league this past season and finished third in our most recent NFL defense rankings.
Well, it seems that the position may not stay open long because a notable NFL insider is claiming some around the NFL already believe Shanahan has a replacement in mind.
San Francisco 49ers to hire Brandon Staley as next defensive coordinator?
On Wednesday, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio claimed “Some around the league think Shanahan will eventually hire former Rams defensive coordinator and Chargers head coach Brandon Staley.”
- Brandon Staley record by season: 9-8 (2021), 10-7 (2022), 5-9 (2023)
Staley and Shanahan have no previous history working together so it is an interesting route for the 49ers head coach to go in 2024. Staley had four years of Division III college football experience as a defensive coordinator before landing the linebackers coach gig with the Chicago Bears in 2017. After three seasons he would land the DC job with the Rams in 2020.
His performance in LA was impressive enough in just one season that it earned him the head coach spot for the other LA squad, the Chargers, in 2021. However, after winning nine games in his rookie season and then 10 in 2022, a disappointing 5-9 season in year three was the type of regression that made the organization fire Staley late in the 2023 NFL season.