The San Francisco 49ers, shortly after narrowly losing in Super Bowl LVIII, fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, and they’re still interviewing candidates in order to fill the position.
They have interviewed some men that fans feel would be underwhelming choices, including former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley and current 49ers defensive passing game specialist Nick Sorensen.
The 49ers got a look at how capable Merritt is during the Super Bowl, as the Chiefs blitzed quarterback Brock Purdy on a couple of key snaps in crunch time and prevented him from throwing what could’ve been a game-winning touchdown.
He was hired by the Chiefs just prior to the 2019 season, and in the past, he has been on the defensive staff of the New York Jets, New York Giants, and Arizona Cardinals.
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The San Francisco 49ers, shortly after narrowly losing in Super Bowl LVIII, fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, and they’re still interviewing candidates in order to fill the position.
They have interviewed some men that fans feel would be underwhelming choices, including former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley and current 49ers defensive passing game specialist Nick Sorensen.
Per Mike Garofolo, the team is also interviewing David Merritt, who is currently the defensive backs coach for the Kansas City Chiefs.
The 49ers got a look at how capable Merritt is during the Super Bowl, as the Chiefs blitzed quarterback Brock Purdy on a couple of key snaps in crunch time and prevented him from throwing what could’ve been a game-winning touchdown.
He was hired by the Chiefs just prior to the 2019 season, and in the past, he has been on the defensive staff of the New York Jets, New York Giants, and Arizona Cardinals.
In the past, Kansas City had won with a potent offensive attack and the magic wand of Patrick Mahomes, but in 2023, they became more of a defensive-minded team, as they finished second in both points and total yards allowed.
While the 49ers were the NFL’s best defensive team in the 2022 season, there was some slippage in 2023 under Wilks, and other teams were able to expose that slippage during the playoffs.
Wilks had been hired a year ago after DeMeco Ryans, who was San Francisco’s defensive coordinator in 2021 and 2022, left to become the head coach of the Houston Texans.
