Why the 49ers Don't Have to Rush Hiring a Defensive Coordinator
The writing was on the wall all season long that the San Francisco 49ers would fire former defensive coordinator Steve Wilks.
It all started with the Minnesota Vikings where Wilks had to apologize for his play calling days after. Everything had gone downhill from there with the disconnected relationships between Kyle Shanahan and the players. Now, the 49ers find themselves in back-to-back seasons with a vacancy at defensive coordinator.
Whoever takes it will be facing immense pressure. The good part about it is the 49ers don't have to rush hiring someone to be their defensive coordinator. As it stands, they are the only team in the league with a vacancy there. So, they are allotted plenty of time to find the right candidate. They can take a careful look and consideration both internally and externally for the position.
"We'll do both. We've got some good coaches in here. I'm definitely going to look outside also," said Shanahan. "So there's a number of things I got to do for the interview process. But this wasn't an easy decision so it's something that I had to really put a lot of time into... I'll start working on the interview process and things like that, trying to find who's best for our group.”
I fully expect the 49ers to take their time with this. I'm sure Shanahan already had an idea of some coaches he'd like to interview before Wilks was fired. But now he can do deeper dives and explore more. The last thing he wants is to not be sure and consider all options. Otherwise, he will have another Wilks situations on his hands.
The tough questions that Shanahan faces are whether or not he should hire within this time, and if he doesn't, then does he allow the new coordinator to alter the defense? With Wilks, he was trying hard to learn and adapt to the 49ers' system. He never was quite able to fully comprehend it, which is why you saw fall back on his straightforward blitzes that he is known for.
It really all depends on who the 49ers hire. If they do find an external coach, then this where time is on their side to carefully study and interview their candidate to see if altering the defense benefits them. Or, if the new coach can be adept to the structure that is already in place. Luckily, it sounds like Shanahan isn't headstrong on either direction.
“I'm committed to trying, with the situation we're in, trying to find what we believe will give the Niners the best chance in 2024," said Shanahan. "And when you have a group of guys who have played at a high level doing certain things a specific way for a while, I do feel that's the best thing to do for them. But if I find something that I should believe in and I could be sold on that could be a better avenue, I would never hesitate to do that. So I'm not close-minded in any way. I'll look into every possibility."
Whichever route the 49ers elect to take, the good thing is that they have time on their side. I wouldn't expect a decision to come down until close to or at the end of February.
