The 49ers could have a decision to make at defensive coordinator this offseason.
The San Francisco 49ers‘ disappointing 2024 campaign is dwindling down, as the 6-10 team faces their final regular-season game against the Arizona Cardinals this weekend before looking ahead to what will be an extremely important offseason for the franchise.
It wasn’t the year that San Francisco expected after choosing to run it back following a crushing overtime loss in the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs last season, leaving several questions on the table heading into the offseason.
Among them? The future of defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen, who is in his first year in the position, being promoted after the 49ers fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks last offseason.
Sorensen was the team’s third defensive coordinator in three years, following Wilks and former coordinator DeMeco Ryans, who left two offseasons ago to be the head coach of the Houston Texans.
Could the 49ers be looking for their fourth coordinator in four years this offseason?
Speaking to reporters ahead of the season finale, Sorensen acknowledged that it’s been a learning year for him as a coordinator.
“I learn all the time,” Sorensen said. “For me, I’m harder on myself probably than anything you guys or anyone could say. So, it starts with, are we winning the game? Obviously, I want our defense to be top-notch and be the best, to be the best that we can be, and grow, and get better. So as far as evaluating me, I learned a lot. I have learned a lot, and I’ll learn more this week, too.”
Last week, head coach Kyle Shanahan issued a vote of confidence for his defensive coordinator, believing that Sorensen will grow from his experiences as a first-time coordinator.
“I think Nick has done a good job as a coach,” Shanahan said. “No one’s happy with our results by any means. I think he’s been thrown in a number of situations that I think will make him better going forward. I’ve watched him adjust to a bunch of different situations, kind of be in a couple of situations on a couple games when there wasn’t much of an answer, and he still had to try to find one. So, I think this year was good for him, and I know he’s going to be a good coach and better for it going forward.”
If Sorensen is just a first-year coordinator and there has been a vote of confidence issued, then why is there a possibility of a move in the offseason?
Well, the 49ers could look to go after some of their previous staff members Robert Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich. Saleh, the former head coach of the New York Jets, had been the 49ers defensive coordinator from 2017-20, and could be a stable option, as he likely wouldn’t garner other head coaching interviews in the foreseeable future.
Ulbrich, on the other hand, is the current interim head coach of the Jets, who will likely move in a different direction this offseason. Ulbrich was reportedly an option the 49ers were interested in pursuing for their defensive coordinator position last offseason, but that request was blocked by the Jets, as he was in the same role in New York.
The 49ers have seen middling results from their defense in 2024, which could be more in part due to their Wide 9 scheme, but the coaching has been a question mark as well. Moving on from Sorensen wouldn’t be ideal, but could very well be realistic if the 49ers engage with a more suitable candidate.