San Francisco 49ers Reportedly Interview Brandon Staley For DC Position, Fans Not Happy

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Following their loss in the Super Bowl, the San Francisco 49ers dismissed defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. One of the reasons that Kyle Shanahan cited is that Wilks ran a different scheme than his players were familiar with running. That makes their interview of former Chargers head coach Brandon Staley interesting. 

I defended Brandon Staley throughout his Chargers tenure. Not necessarily that he was a great head coach, but that he wasn't nearly as bad as the media made him out to be. The team hired Jim Harbaugh and now that same media is certain that Los Angeles will contend for the Super Bowl next season. 

I'm not so sure of that. The roster is a mess thanks to the job done by former general manager Tom Telesco. There are problems for that team beyond Staley, and that was always the point. 

That all being said, I'm not sure how the 49ers fit makes sense. The team wanted Wilks to run their current defensive scheme, one that he wasn't familiar with. That led to a lot of problems, particularly late in the season. 

The 49ers employed a defensive strategy known as the "Wide 9." I'm not going to delve into the specifics of that, but you can Google it if you're curious. Before that, they ran a more traditional 4-3 defensive scheme. Both setups generally employ four defensive linemen. 

Brandon Staley, though, runs a 3-4 defensive scheme and comes from the Vic Fangio school of defense. He relies on a strong interior defensive lineman to dominate in the run game and press corners that can cover in the short areas of the field. 

That worked with the Rams when he had Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey. It didn't work with the Chargers because they didn't have either of those players. 

The 49ers did sign Javon Hargrave in free agency, and he's a good interior DL. However, he's also used to playing in a 4-3 alongside another defensive tackle. He's not particularly suited for the Aaron Donald role in a Brandon Staley defense. 

That means that either Staley has to change his scheme – which didn't work for Wilks – or the team has to build around Staley's defense and change their own scheme. Neither seems like a great option. Staley is less-inclined to blitz than Wilks, and Shanahan and Wilks disagreed on employment of blitzes. So, in that aspect, the pairing could work. 

Still, it seems odd to try to force his players into a new scheme or force another defensive coordinator to try and learn the one they already run. 

Plus, with Staley's negative image in the NFL, that makes a potential hire even more fraught with peril. And, predictably, most 49ers fans weren't excited about that prospect. 

Not a ringing endorsement from the 49ers' faithful, we'll see what the team ultimately elects to do in the coming days… 

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Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to Outkick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named “Brady” because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.