Following their tight loss in Super Bowl LVIII, the San Francisco 49ers fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks and
are still evaluating candidates to fill the role.
They have questioned some men who supporters believe would be unimpressive candidates, such former Los
Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley and current 49ers defensive passing game specialist Nick Sorensen.
The 49ers saw Merritt’s potential during the Super Bowl, when the Chiefs blitzed quarterback Brock Purdy on a
couple of important snaps in crunch time, preventing him from throwing a game-winning score.
Per Mike Garofolo, the team is also interviewing David Merritt, who is currently the defensive backs coach for the
Kansas City Chiefs.
He was hired by the Chiefs right before the 2019 season and has previously worked on the defensive staffs of the New
York Jets, Giants, and Arizona Cardinals.
Kansas City had previously won with a formidable offensive onslaught and Patrick Mahomes’ magic wand, but in
2023, they became more defensive-minded, finishing second in both points and total yards allowed.
While the 49ers were the NFL’s best defensive team in 2022, there was significant slippage in 2023 under Wilks,
which other teams were able to exploit in the playoffs.
Wilks was hired a year ago when DeMeco Ryans, San Francisco’s defensive coordinator in 2021 and 2022, departed
to become the Houston Texans’ head coach.
