The 49ers went outside the organization to replace DeMeco Ryans as defensive coordinator.
Steve Wilks was selected by coach Kyle Shanahan Tuesday to take over the NFL’s top-ranked defense, a league source confirmed. The story was first reported by NFL Media.
Wilks, 53, was hired as interim head coach in place of the fired Matt Rhule last season for the Carolina Panthers after serving as the defensive passing game coordinator and secondary coach.
The 49ers reportedly interviewed Washington defensive backs coach Chris Harris last week and were also considering internal candidates including defensive secondary coach Cory Undlin.
Wilks was elevated one day after Carolina lost at home 37-15 to the 49ers, leaving the Panthers with a 1-4 record. Carolina went 6-6 over the rest of the season to finish 7-10. Wilks was considered for the Panthers’ permanent head coaching job that instead went to Frank Reich.
Carolina’s level of play improved and the Panthers began running the ball with more consistency after a blockbuster trade that sent star running back Christian McCaffrey to the 49ers for second-, third- and fourth-round draft picks in the upcoming draft and a fifth-rounder next season.
“The sun rose this morning and by the grace of God so did I,” Wilks said in a statement posted on Twitter after Reich got the job. “I’m disappointed but not defeated. Many people aren’t built for this but I know what it means to persevere and see it through.”
Wilks wished good luck to Reich, but that sentiment was not shared by his attorney Douglas Wigdor.
“We are shocked and disturbed that after the incredible job coach Wilks did as the interim coach, including bringing the team back into playoff contention and garnering the support of the players and fans that he was passed over for the head coach position by (owner) David Tepper,” Wigdor posted on Twitter. “There is a legitimate race problem in the NFL, and we can assure you that we will have more to say in the coming days.”
In taking over the 49ers’ defense, Wilks will coordinate a unit that finished the 2022 season giving up the fewest yards (300.6) and points (16.3) of any team in the NFL.
The 49ers have Pro Bowl players at all three levels in edge rusher Nick Bosa, inside linebacker Fred Warner and safety Talanoa Hufanga. Also on hand are established defensive tackle Arik Armstead, linebacker Dre Greenlaw and cornerback Charvarius Ward, signed as a free agent a year ago.
Wilks can be expected to operate much like Robert Saleh and Ryans in terms of defensive philosophy.
“I’m trying to get something where we don’t have to turn much over,” Shanahan said at the 49ers’ season-ending press conference on Feb. 1. “I would love to keep our same staff, so I’m going to talk to some guys on our staff. I’m going to talk to some guys outside our staff and hopefully, whichever way we go, it’s someone who can work with who we have and what we’ve accomplished here.
“I love the scheme that we run and I feel the foundation with have on the D-line, at linebacker, at corner at safety, I think our players fit very well in it too. I’m hoping to find someone who fits with us personality-wise and scheme-wise.”
It remains to be seen what the makeup will be of the rest of the coaching staff and whether Ryans will hire any 49ers assistants to be on his staff in Houston. According to NBC affiliate KPRC in Houston, Kris Kocurek will remain with the 49ers as defensive line coach.
Given what happened to Wilks’ predecessors, the 49ers’ opportunity could lead to a third shot at being a head coach as Saleh was hired by the Jets following the 2020 season and Ryans last week by the Houston Texans.
Wilks has coached in the NFL since 2006, when he joined the Chicago Bears as a defensive backs coach. Wilks also coached defensive backs with the Chargers (2009-11) and Carolina (2012-14) before becoming an assistant head coach to Ron Rivera and later defensive coordinator through 2017.
Saddled with a quarterback in rookie Josh Rosen who was on his way out, Arizona went 3-13 and Wilks was fired after one season as the Cardinals hired Kliff Kingsbury as head coach to install an offense for quarterback Kyler Murray, the first overall pick in the draft.
Wilks was hired as defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns in 2019 in the one-year reign of Freddie Kitchens. He sat out 2020 and was the defensive coordinator for Missouri in 2021 before being hired by Rhule in Carolina in 2022.
