49ers fireplace D-coordinator Steve Wilks after one season

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — After only one season because the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator, Steve Wilks is out.

“This morning I relieved Steve Wilks of his duties,” Niners coach Kyle Shanahan mentioned in a convention name Wednesday that was scheduled simply 10 minutes earlier than it occurred. “[We’re] going to finish up making a change right here at defensive coordinator. A extremely powerful choice, as a result of [it] actually says nothing about Steve as a person or as a soccer coach. I imply, he is precisely what we needed as a person. He is a good soccer coach.

“However simply the place we’re going and the place we’re at with our crew from a scheme standpoint and issues like that, trying by all of it all year long to those previous few days, I felt fairly strongly that this was a call that was finest for the group.”

Shanahan on Tuesday largely dodged questions on whether or not Wilks would stay as defensive coordinator for a second season. He mentioned he wanted extra time to type by his emotions on his workers, although he did say he anticipated most of his workers to be again.

By Wednesday morning, Shanahan mentioned he realized that “going a distinct course” was “one thing that I’ve to do.”

In Wilks’ lone season with the Niners, the protection had its share of ups and downs. A unit that led the NFL in a number of classes in 2022 underneath DeMeco Ryans — together with fewest factors per recreation allowed (16.3) and defensive anticipated factors added (89.58) — took a step again in 2023.

San Francisco nonetheless completed third in factors allowed (17.5) this season, however the 49ers have been ninth in defensive EPA (41.48) and sprung important leaks towards the run within the playoffs, permitting the Inexperienced Bay Packers, Detroit Lions and Kansas Metropolis Chiefs to common 5.1 yards per carry and 149.3 yards per recreation within the postseason.

Shanahan took possession of a few of these struggles, saying he needed Wilks to run the identical system that had beforehand been in place with Ryans and Robert Saleh earlier than him.

“I knew that was a problem,” Shanahan mentioned. “It was actual powerful dropping DeMeco. It was powerful dropping Saleh the yr earlier than. We had dedicated to not simply the system, however the gamers that had been within the system, from our D-line or linebackers. They’d performed in it for such a very long time.

“It was my purpose to not have to vary all of them, and bringing in Steve, who was unbelievable how loyal he was and him making an attempt to do it, but it surely simply ended up not being the suitable match. And it damage for me to do that, however that is precisely why I needed to.”

After the protection regarded prefer it would not miss a beat throughout a 5-0 begin, Wilks hit his share of bumps thereafter. Shanahan publicly criticized him for an all-out blitz name earlier than the half that resulted in a Minnesota Vikings landing in a Week 7 loss. Throughout the Week 9 bye, Shanahan requested Wilks to maneuver from the sales space to the sector on recreation days.

And Shanahan used a timeout on protection with the Chiefs dealing with a second-and-6 at San Francisco’s 37 with 2:48 left in time beyond regulation in Sunday’s Tremendous Bowl loss, later saying he did not just like the look of the play.

After the Chiefs’ win, defensive finish Nick Bosa mentioned the Niners weren’t ready for among the designed working performs for quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Throughout locker cleanout Tuesday, Bosa supplied an evaluation of Wilks’ efficiency in 2023.

“I feel he does an excellent job with the again finish, and clearly we had some points this yr all year long,” Bosa mentioned. “However that is a part of enjoying a full season, and I feel we have been enjoying our greatest ball on the finish.”

Linebacker Fred Warner supplied a extra optimistic outlook on how issues went, noting the Niners completed fifth in takeaways (28) and recorded 22 interceptions, which tied for first within the league.

“I believed it went properly,” Warner mentioned Tuesday. “I feel persons are clearly going to be vital simply due to, whenever you go from having the No. 1 protection one yr after which a man is available in and you are not the No. 1 protection once more, it is like, ‘Oh, properly, what occurred?’

“Effectively, I imply there’s much more that goes into it. And it was a tough job for him all alongside as a result of he was coming right into a system the place it was one thing that he did not run. He needed to come and study what we did and we have been the No. 1 protection a yr in the past, and it is arduous to maintain that sort of play. However we nonetheless have been a prime protection on this league, and I feel we performed our greatest ball when it was wanted.”

The 49ers will now start the seek for their third defensive coordinator in as many seasons. Shanahan mentioned he’ll think about each inner and exterior choices. The good thing about trying internally is that he might discover somebody who already is aware of the scheme and can be extra of a pure match, like Saleh and Ryans have been.

One factor Shanahan would favor, nevertheless, is a coordinator who is best geared up to tie the defensive entrance and secondary collectively. In contrast to Ryans and Saleh, each of whom had expertise teaching linebackers, Wilks had an intensive background working with the secondary.

“You wish to tie issues collectively and Steve was all the time working to try this,” Shanahan mentioned. “There isn’t any doubt about that. However it was only for his background and the way it ended up with us, it was tougher than it wanted to be and I felt it might enhance us going a distinct course.”

Wilks got here to the Niners after ending 2022 because the interim coach of the Carolina Panthers. He had beforehand coached the Arizona Cardinals in 2018 however was fired after going 3-13. That resulted in Wilks becoming a member of a lawsuit initiated by Brian Flores in 2022 towards the NFL for racial discrimination by which Wilks alleges the Cardinals didn’t give him a “truthful” alternative as a result of he’s Black and used him as a “bridge” coach.