The San Francisco 49ers will look different next season. And maybe not just a little bit.

The San Francisco 49ers will look different next season. And maybe not just a little bit.

After the firing of defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen, coach Kyle Shanahan and Co. are looking for new leadership on the defensive side of the ball.

The top candidate is a familiar face in Robert Saleh, who was fired as head coach of the New York Jets midseason and is currently a candidate for head coach with a number of teams including the Cowboys, Jaguars and Raiders.

Saleh coming back to the Bay is a long shot. And now, the 49ers may have lost out on their No. 1 backup plan, Jeff Ulbrich.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero has reported that Ulbrich has agreed to terms with the Atlanta Falcons to be their next defensive coordinator. Ulbrich will replace Jimmy Lake, who was fired after one season in Atlanta under new head coach Raheem Morris.

The absolute worst-case scenario could be promoting from within with Brandon Staley. Staley is already on staff as assistant head coach and was a part of Sorensen’s defense that failed last season. If Sorensen couldn’t get the defense going, who’s to think Staley can?

Since Saleh left after the 2020 season to coach the Jets, San Francisco has run through three replacements. DeMeco Ryans left for a successful (so far) stint as the head coach in Houston, Steve Wilks was fired after the 2023 season as a scapegoat for the Super Bowl loss against the Cheifs, and Sorensen failed last season.

If the team can repair its relationship with Wilks, we would welcome him back with open arms. But what will Shanahan do? We’ll wait and see.