For the second successive offseason, the San Francisco 49ers are dealing with change at the defensive coordinator position.

Last year, the 49ers brought in Steve Wilks — a first DC hire made from outside the organization by Kyle Shanahan — after DeMeco Ryans took the role of head coach with the Houston Texans.

Under Wilks, the 49ers slipped from first in Expected Points Added per play in 2022 to 12th in 2023 and also experienced a less severe drop-off in DVOA, going from first to fourth.

That led to Shanahan firing Wilks following San Francisco's Super Bowl 58 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He has since been replaced by Nick Sorensen, who was the 49ers' defensive passing game specialist last season.

It was a decision that marked a reversion to type for Shanahan in hiring a coach who has spent significant time in the 49ers' defensive system. In Sorensen's case, he has essentially spent his entire career as a defensive coach in that scheme, having previously worked for Pete Carroll in Seattle.

Sorensen therefore obviously projects as a strong fit for the role despite his inexperience in having never called plays.

And All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner is not expecting him to have an issue Wilks had during the first half of his brief tenure. Wilks initially coached from the booth, but eventually made the move down to the field to improve communication with his players, namely Warner, who relays the defensive calls as the green-dot wearer.

Sorensen has already confirmed he will call plays from the field, and Warner is confident communication will be smooth right off the bat with his new DC.

"For me specifically I do have the green dot so I’m the one that’s hearing that communication with the defensive coordinator,” Warner told the Candlestick Chronicles podcast. 

"That does take time to develop that connection and I know it’s gonna be seamless with Nick. I think having him around the building these last couple years has been awesome.”

He added of Sorensen, a former safety who played in the Super Bowl as a rookie in 2001 and spent 10 years in the NFL as a player: "I love Nick, I love what he’s about.

"Love the fact that he’s played the game for a long time, understands ball, is a great leader, and understands that we haven’t played our best defense as of late and that we need to return to that. 

"And so it’s been crystal clear what the standard is moving forward, and yeah, I’m really excited about it. I think it’ll be a great hire and move going forward."

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