The San Francisco 49ers are closing in on a new defensive coordinator with head coach Kyle Shanahan saying an appointment should be confirmed this week.
The Niners sacked Steve Wilks following their defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII earlier this month and the vacancy remains the last open coordinator job in the NFL.
Shanahan gave an update on the search for Wilks’ successor to NBC Sports Bay Area, revealing that the team have completed interviews with former LA Chargers head coach Brandon Staley and 49ers defensive pass game specialist Nick Sorensen. The team ‘should finish it all up this week,’ he told NBC.
Niners defensive backs coach Daniel Bullocks is also expected to be interviewed for the vacancy, with Shanahan adding that they will speak to two more external candidates. NFL rules stipulate that teams must interview at least two minority candidates for coordinator positions.
Wilks lasted only one season in the defensive coordinator job in San Francisco after replacing DeMeco Ryans last offseason, when he was appointed as the Houston Texans head coach.
Staley was fired by LA last season during his third campaign as the Chargers head coach. Prior to his time with the Chargers, he spent one season as Sean McVay’s defensive coordinator at the LA Rams.
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