Report: 49ers to promote Sorensen to DC, add Staley to staff
The San Francisco 49ers are promoting defensive pass game specialist and nickel cornerbacks coach Nick Sorensen to defensive coordinator, sources told Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
San Francisco will reportedly also add former Los Angeles Chargers bench boss Brandon Staley to their staff as assistant head coach.
Sorensen will replace Steve Wilks, who was fired Feb. 14 following San Francisco's Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and after just one season.
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said he parted ways with Wilks because his scheme wasn't the "right fit" with San Francisco's players. Shanahan expressed a desire to return to the team's previous approach.
Sorensen will lead that switch after spending the last two seasons with the 49ers. He was also the Seattle Seahawks' assistant defensive backs coach and secondary coach from 2013-20 and spent 2021 as Jacksonville Jaguars' special teams coach. He has never served as a defensive coordinator.
Staley will bring an experienced voice to the 49ers' defensive staff. He was the Chargers' head coach from 2021-23 and led the Los Angeles Rams' defense in 2020.
The 49ers reportedly attempted to land Kansas City Chiefs coordinator Steve Spagnuolo before he signed a new deal with the reigning champions.