The San Francisco 49ers are searching for a new defensive coordinator after Robert Saleh departed this offseason to become head coach of the Tennessee Titans.
Despite a wave of injuries on defense, Saleh kept the unit competitive under difficult circumstances. Now, Kyle Shanahan is aiming higher, hoping to bring in a coach who can push the defense forward, particularly if cornerstone players such as Fred Warner and Nick Bosa stay healthy.
According to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco, the 49ers have already begun that process. In a report published Jan. 29, Maiocco cited a source saying the team has interviewed Raheem Morris, Joe Woods, and Gus Bradley for the defensive coordinator opening.
Nonetheless, former 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman is suggesting another name for the position: Jim Schwartz, who was the Cleveland Browns‘ defensive coordinator last season and didn’t get the head coach job. As a result, he has an uncertain future.
“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.”
Jim Schwartz Has Uncertain Future With the Browns
Schwartz 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.
Moreover, CBS Sports reporter Jonathan Jones noted that when Monken was brought in, the Browns understood Schwartz well enough to realize the decision would not sit well.
Schwartz had been hoping the role would mark a return to a head coaching job for the first time since the 2013 season with the Detroit Lions, and being overlooked was never going to be something he celebrated.
Should Raheem Morris Get the 49ers 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.”
Richard Sherman Sends Blunt 49ers Message to Jim Schwartz