San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks is drawing significant interest on the head coaching market.

The Niners received interview requests for Wilks from the Los Angeles Chargers and the Atlanta Falcons. 

Wilks was passed over for the Carolina Panthers job last year, allowing the 49ers to hire him as a replacement for former defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans. He may get another shot at a lead role in this hiring cycle, but if any team wants to hire him, there's a good chance they'll have to be patient, with the 49ers the clear favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.

What is Steve Wilks' experience?

In the league since 2006, save for a return to the college ranks with Missouri in 2021, Wilks is a veteran defensive coach who has previously coordinated the defenses of the Panthers and the Cleveland Browns and had a one-year spell as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 2018.

He was initially the defensive passing game coordinator and secondary coach of the Panthers last year but took over as the interim head coach following the firing of Matt Rhule.

His 6-6 record was not enough to secure him the full-time role, however, as the Panthers made the ill-fated move of hiring Frank Reich, leading Wilks to instead move out west, where he has done an impressive job overseeing the San Francisco defense.

How has he fared in 2023?

For the most part, extremely well. San Francisco's defense finished the regular season fourth by DVOA, responding strongly after a three-game blip before their Week 9 bye.

Following that losing streak, Wilks made the move from the coaching booth to the sideline, and his adaptability has paid dividends, with players consistently and openly espousing the benefits of having him at their level rather than up in the box.

The 49ers have proven vulnerable to the run in the second half of the season, especially with defensive tackle Arik Armstead out of the lineup, but for the most part Wilks' defense has done an excellent job of containing opponents, allowing the sixth-fewest explosive runs (39) and the eighth-fewest explosive pass plays (45).

What is his calling card?

A defensive backs coach with the Bears, Chargers and Panthers prior to his first spell as Carolina's defensive coordinator, Wilks' speciality is the secondary, and that has been clear throughout his first season as the 49ers' coordinator.

Charvarius Ward was on Friday named as a second-team All-Pro after the finest season of his career, racking up 23 pass breakups and five interceptions, while Deommodore Lenoir has blossomed into an integral part of the defense who can play outside and in the slot extremely effectively. 

On top of that, Ambry Thomas has enjoyed a superb bounce-back year, allowing Lenoir to move inside on nickel downs, and rookie safety Ji'Ayir Brown — a player for whom Wilks vouched in the pre-draft process — has excelled since taking over for injured All-Pro Talanoa Hufanga.

Wilks is also an aggressive coach who is more than happy to dial up blitzes. That cost him earlier in the year when a bizarre zero blitz call at the end of the first half of a defeat to the Minnesota Vikings backfired, but since the bye Wilks has found great success with well-designed, well-timed blitz looks.

Can he be the face of a franchise?

Wilks really wasn't given much of a shot to answer that question in his first go around as a head coach in 2018, in which he was put in charge of a dreadful Cardinals team that went 3-13 before being fired and replaced by Kliff Kingsbury.

But his spell as the interim coach of the Panthers was a much better reflection of his abilities as a leader, Wilks turning a team that started 1-4 into one that was consistently competitive and still had a chance to make the playoffs in a bad NFC South division deep into the 2022 campaign.

With the 49ers, he has displayed accountability, taking full responsibility for the ill-advised blitz call in Minnesota, and adaptability in changing his process during the bye week to be able to better communicate with his defense and make his players' lives easier.

Wilks' players have spoken extremely highly of him throughout the ups and downs of an ultimately impressive year that could end with the ultimate glory. 

He may not be the most fashionable hire, but with his ability to connect with his players and the messaging he puts out through the media, Wilks is more than capable of being the face of a franchise, and he deserves another shot.

Brock Purdy gets extra playoff motivation from All-Pro announcement

The 49ers dominate the rosters, but not at quarterback.