SANTA CLARA – Kyle Shanahan is altering out 49ers defensive coordinators for the fourth time in 5 years.
Nick Sorensen, like his rapid predecessor Steve Wilks, received’t return to that function after one season in it, a league supply confirmed. Sorensen could possibly be retained on Shanahan’s workers in one other capability for a fourth season.
The last-place 49ers (6-11) didn’t generate turnovers with a protection that was a step too gradual and misplaced. In its closing act, Sorensen’s unit allowed a season-high 47 factors and produced no takeaways or sacks in Sunday’s 47-24 defeat at Arizona.
NBC Sports activities Bay Space’s Matt Maiocco first reported Sorensen’s ouster.
The 49ers had no interceptions over their ultimate seven video games (six losses), they usually recovered one fumble of their ultimate 11 video games (or two over their ultimate 13).
“It’s not good enough. It’s hard to win games when you’re in the minus all the time or you’re just not taking the ball away,” Sorensen mentioned final week. “We haven’t done our part there pretty much half the season.”
Sorensen’s removing follows Monday evening’s firing of particular groups coordinator Brian Schneider.
Among the many DC candidates obtainable: Jeff Ulbrich (previously the New York Jets’ interim coach and a former 49ers linebacker, Gus Bradley (previously the Indianapolis Colts’ DC) and Robert Saleh, who parlayed his time period as 49ers defensive coordinator (2017-20) right into a head-coaching function with the Jets, who relieved him 4 video games into this fourth and ultimate season.
DeMeco Ryans, who succeeded Saleh because the 49ers’ DC for 2 years, has led the Houston Texans to consecutive AFC South titles.
The 49ers had new starters all through their entrance seven in addition to mainstays Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, whereas communication and project breakdowns littered the youthful secondary.
Warner acknowledged after Sunday’s recreation and once more Monday that Sorensen will draw the brunt of criticism just by being the coordinator however gamers deserved blame, too. “As a coach you have to be the one to hold the players accountable and I felt he did that and it’s his first season,” Warner mentioned. “He’s got to look back and see where he could have been better in his role but as players we’ve go got to be way better this year.”
Solely three groups allowed extra factors per recreation than the 49ers (25.6). The run protection proved significantly inept, yielding 24 dashing touchdowns (one shy of the franchise report) and 124.6 yards per recreation. The move protection ranked eighth in yards allowed (317.4), but it surely lacked punch with a move rush (Bosa had 9 sacks, Leonard Floyd 8 ½) whereas the interception leaders had been Warner and Deommodore Lenoir with two apiece.
Sorensen was a defensive assistant the earlier two seasons and labored largely with the defensive backs in 2023 underneath Wilks, who was fired two days after the 49ers’ Tremendous Bowl loss to Kansas Metropolis.
Initially Printed: January 7, 2025 at 6:46 PM PST
