-
Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff Writer
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — After a careful search that included internal and external candidates, the San Francisco 49ers have a new defensive coordinator. That's not the only significant addition to the team's coaching staff.
The Niners will fill the defensive coordinator role vacated by firing manager Steve Wilkes on February 14, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler on Saturday. They are promoting passing game specialist and nickel cornerbacks coach Nick Sorensen. The team plans to hire former Los Angeles Chargers coach Brandon Staley as an assistant head coach, according to officials.
At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis this week, 49ers general manager John Lynch said the team is “in no hurry” to hire a coordinator, but when announcing Wilkes' firing, coach Kyle – Shanahan reiterated what he said about San Francisco not wanting to lose ground. It's a far cry from his defensive performance over the past seven years.
“We know who we are and who we're going to be, and that doesn't change the overall picture,” Lynch said. “We are happy with the situation we are in.”
Lynch, given that one of the reasons Shanahan transferred from Wilkes was that he was having trouble adjusting to the defensive scheme San Francisco had used the past few years under former coordinators Robert Saleh and DeMeco Ryans. His words seemed to suggest the possibility of internal recruitment.
Sorensen should give the Niners the continuity Shanahan and Lynch have been looking for. This is Sorensen's first time as a coordinator, but he has been with the Niners since 2022, when he joined the staff as a defensive assistant. In his second season, he was promoted to defensive pass game specialist and took command of the Nickelbacks.
Sorensen's previous duties with the Niners included running the team's weekly meetings called “The Ball,” which focused on winning the turnover battle.
Prior to arriving in San Francisco, Sorensen spent the 2021 season as the Jacksonville Jaguars' special teams coach. Prior to that, Sorensen spent eight years (2013-2020) with the Seattle Seahawks as an assistant special teams coach, assistant defensive backs coach and secondary coach.
Sorensen's history working with Pete Carroll in Seattle is perhaps the most valuable given that the Niners are running a version of that defensive scheme, with most of the back end paired in zone coverage. The focus is on an aggressive front four.
In Staley, the 49ers are adding another experienced voice to their staff. As assistant head coach, Staley replaces Anthony Lynn, who left San Francisco after two seasons to become the Washington Commanders' run game coordinator and running backs coach.
Staley spent the past two-plus seasons as the Chargers' coach, but before that he was the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams in 2020 and previously spent time with the Chicago Bears (2017-18) and Denver Broncos (2019). ) was the outside linebackers coach.
Although Staley's defensive background is different from what the Niners have schematically, Lynch said in Indianapolis that doesn't preclude Staley from being a potential addition to the staff.
“He's a really bright guy,” Lynch said. “We're open-minded, but we know there are certain core principles of always being on the defensive end. … That doesn't mean we're going to rule him out.”
Along with Sorensen, Staley was one of five known interviewers for the defensive coordinator job. The Niners also spoke with secondary coach Daniel Brox, Kansas City Chiefs defensive backs coach Dave Merritt and Las Vegas Raiders safeties coach Gerald Alexander.
