The hunt for a new defensive coordinator continues for the San Francisco 49ers. Head coach Kyle Shanahan dismissed Steve Wilks after their defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII, citing inadequate communication between the defensive coaches and players. This loss followed their defeat in Super Bowl LIV, when Robert Saleh was their defensive coordinator.
The decision to let go of Wilks was met with disapproval from many NFL fans who believe that Shanahan’s record of failure in the Super Bowl, as both a head coach and an offensive coordinator, suggests that the root cause of their losses may lie higher up in the coaching hierarchy than the defensive coordinator position.
The traditional saying “If you can’t beat them, join them” isn’t quite fitting in this situation. Instead, it’s more appropriate to say “If you can’t beat them, employ them.”
As reported by NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the 49ers have conducted an interview with Dave Merritt, a defensive backs coach from the Chiefs.
Dave Merritt, the secondary coach for the Chiefs, started his NFL coaching journey in 2001 as a defensive assistant and linebackers coach for the New York Jets. He served in that role until 2003. In 2004, he joined the New York Giants as a defensive assistant and was eventually promoted to secondary coach and safeties coach in 2006. He held this position until 2017, during which he won two Super Bowls with the Giants. In 2018, Merritt worked as the defensive backs coach for the Arizona Cardinals.
