The San Francisco 49ers are looking to fill their defensive coordinator role after Robert Saleh left to take the Tennessee Titans head coach job. In a report published Jan. 29, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco reported, citing a source, that the team has interviewed Raheem Morris, Joe Woods, and Gus Bradley for the opening.
Nonetheless, one name that’s emerging more in speculation than reporting is Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. He emerged as a serious candidate for the Browns’ head coaching vacancy before the organization ultimately chose Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken.
Even after that decision, there was optimism he might remain with Cleveland as Monken’s defensive coordinator, especially with Schwartz under contract through the 2026 season. However, CBS Sports reported on Jan. 30, citing sources, that Schwartz wants out of Cleveland.
Amid this reporting, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Jennifer Lee Chan shared her insight on whether Schwartz would fit with the 49ers as their defensive coordinator.
“[Schwartz] is a guy who obviously Kyle Shanahan respects a lot,” Lee Chan said in her YouTube video published on Jan. 30. “I don’t know that he’s the best fit for the 49ers and how they’re built defensively. 49ers are built to rush from the line. They aren’t meant to be huge blitzers. They have the safeties be the erasers. You’ve got two linebackers. Fred Warner is your coverage and run stopper.
“So your defensive line doesn’t have to assess the situation. They don’t have to say, ‘Okay, this is a run play. This is a pass play.’ You know, they don’t have to look at how things are set up. They don’t have to look at the motions. They are just there to go get the quarterback.”
Jim Schwartz Would Benefit From Being 49ers DC
Meanwhile, former 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman believes Schwartz would benefit from being the Niners’ defensive coordinator if he has hopes of being an NFL head coach again.
“I think if Schwartz goes to another team, a contender who’s out of a defensive coordinator right now, I think he has a head coach job within the next two years,” Sherman said in a Jan. 30 video from “The Richard Sherman Podcast.” “And by contender, I’m thinking of the San Francisco 49ers, and I would imagine Kyle Shanahan is on the phone right now, whatever you need.
“After losing Robert Saleh to a head coaching job and showing a pipeline for his defensive coordinators to be elevated to head coaching jobs, you talk about DeMeco Ryans, you talk about Robert Saleh twice. Even my guy Jeff Hafley, who was on the staff in ’18, is now a head coach right now for the Miami Dolphins.”
Should Raheem Morris Be the Favorite for the Niners’ DC Job?
Meanwhile, 49ers reporter Grant Cohn for On SI shared his thoughts on the three candidates and sees Morris as the guy San Francisco should hire among the three candidates they have interviewed, given his head-coaching experience and his role as the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive coordinator when they won the Super Bowl.
“Then you got Raheem Morris, who’s legitimately an excellent defensive coordinator, “ Cohn said. “No sarcasm whatsoever. He was the defensive coordinator for the Rams a few years ago when they won the Super Bowl, and he has head coaching experience. He would be pretty great, except he doesn’t run the wide nine, and the Niners would have to evolve. Oh my God, what a nightmare. Then there’s Gus Bradley, who hasn’t evolved at all in the last 15 years.
“Of course, the Niners brought him in so he could study Robert Saleh, who evolved all the time, and they’re really hoping that Gus Bradley won’t be the next Steve Wilks, who was brought in to run someone else’s scheme. If the choice comes down to Gus Bradley and Raheem Morris, it’s a no‑brainer. It’s got to be Morris.”
49ers Insider Drops Strong Message on Browns DC Jim Schwartz