Steve Wilks, the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers, is going to see significant changes under head coach Kyle Shanahan.
For Sunday’s Week 10 away game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Shanahan has chosen to have Wilks come down from the coaching booth and join him on the sidelines, according to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. Shanahan said
“We’re going to put him on the field this week,” “(It’s) something we’ve talked about for a little bit…There are pluses to it and minuses to it, but we’ll see what we like about this week.”
The 49ers have dropped their last three games, giving up 24 points per contest on average. In Week 8, the defense gave up 31 points and 400 yards of offense in a 14-point loss at home against Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals.
Kyle Shanahan explains why he wants Steve Wilks to be on the sideline this Sunday against the Jags pic.twitter.com/0EwD3xBB0X
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) November 8, 2023
The 49ers have given up the fourth-fewest points (17.5) and the tenth-fewest yards (315.0) per contest. The secondary is where most of the issues lie since, despite being a normally frugal unit, it ranks outside of the top half when it comes to pass defense (228.9 yards allowed per game).
DeMeco Ryans, a noted defensive coordinator, left San Francisco to become head coach of the Houston Texans. Wilks was appointed the team’s new defensive coordinator after concluding 2022 as the Carolina Panthers’ interim head coach.
Granted, despite their 5-0 start, the 49ers’ opponent list hasn’t exactly been the easiest. The Cleveland Browns (19-17), Minnesota Vikings (22-17), and Bengals (31-17) are the three victorious teams they fell short against.