We’ve been waiting to see who the external interviews for the San Francisco 49ers’ vacant defensive coordinator position would be now that Robert Saleh is off to the AFC.
According to NBC Sports’ Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco, the 49ers have interviewed the following three candidates: Raheem Morris
Joe Woods
Gus Bradley
Kyle Shanahan has a history with each candidate. He was on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers staff with Morris back in 2004-05. He was also with Morris in Washington and Atlanta. The admiration for
both coaches runs deep, but their history runs even deeper.
Woods was the defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator during the Super Bowl run in 2019. Since then, Woods served as the Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator. Woods has a reputation for being a top-notch defensive back coach in the NFL, where he coached the Super Bowl-winning Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50.
Would Woods be interested in returning as the defensive backs coach? That could also be what the interview was for, if Shanahan knows who his coordinator already is.
Bradley is the current associate head coach of the 49ers. He spoke about his history earlier on Thursday, suggesting that Shanahan has an opportunity to evolve rather than go with the obvious candidate, Bradley.
The 49ers could interview more candidates, but they already knocked out the Rooney Rule by interviewing two minority candidates and the potential “favorite,” suggesting Bradley is “the guy” until proven otherwise.
How do you feel about these candidates?
