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Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff Writer
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — As the San Francisco 49ers new defensive coordinator, Steve Wilks finds himself in an equally enviable and difficult spot.
On the plus side, Wilks is taking over a defense that finished last season No. 1 in the NFL in a variety of categories. On the other side, Wilks is taking over a defense that finished last season No. 1 in the NFL in a variety of categories.
Which means Wilks must thread the needle between trying to put his stamp on San Francisco’s defense and not trying to fix something that’s nowhere close to broken.
“I think you have to embrace the success that they’ve had here,” Wilks said. “It is a foundation that we all agree we wanted to keep and I think it is an opportunity as we go through the process, which we already have, to try to tweak things a little bit. I still think there’s room for improvement.”
Hiring a new defensive coordinator was something Niners coach Kyle Shanahan had been through before, elevating DeMeco Ryans after Robert Saleh left to become the New York Jets coach following the 2020 season. It was one of the worst-kept secrets in Niners-land that Ryans was Saleh’s successor, but no such succession plan was in place when Ryans departed to become the Houston Texans head coach in February.
So when Shanahan went looking for Ryans’ replacement, he had a few boxes to check. First and foremost, Shanahan wanted the scheme to stay the same. The Niners return eight defensive starters from last season and many of their core defenders — end Nick Bosa, tackle Arik Armstead, linebackers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga — have been in the system for multiple years. Shanahan also wanted to keep the majority of the defensive coaching staff in place.
Otherwise, Shanahan was open-minded to the possibilities, so when Wilks wasn’t retained as the Carolina Panthers head coach after serving 12 games as interim coach last season, he quickly became a top candidate. Upon hiring Wilks on Feb. 7, Wilks and Shanahan had a quick and easy rapport. Running back Christian McCaffrey, who played for Wilks in Carolina before being traded to the 49ers this past October, saw an easy fit.
“Coach Wilks is awesome,” McCaffrey said. “It says a lot to see how all the Panthers players reacted to him and them vouching for him to get the head job. That’s a testament to who he is and that explains a lot about not just the coach he is, but the guy he is. Happy he’s on our side.”
Exactly what Wilks will be implementing to the Niners defense remains to be seen, but his past could provide clues.
Under Saleh and Ryans, the 49ers leaned heavily on the defensive line to generate pressure without blitzing. In six seasons under that duo, the Niners blitzed 23.4% of the time, 22nd in the NFL. When they did blitz, defensive backs accounted for just 9.8% of them, 16th in the league. In 2022, the Niners were 20th in blitz rate (22.8%) and 11th in defensive back blitz rate (10.1%).
Wilks’ history indicates those numbers could go up. As the Cleveland Browns‘ defensive coordinator in 2019, Wilks dialed up a 35.3% blitz rate (fourth in the NFL) and 18.7% defensive back blitz rate (second). As the Panthers’ defensive coordinator and assistant head coach in 2017, Wilks blitzed on 44% of drop backs (second) and used defensive backs on 13.9% of those (fifth).
Those numbers help explain why players like Warner and new nickel cornerback Isaiah Oliver wouldn’t be surprised to see themselves adding to the pass rush a bit more in 2023.
“When people ask me if I’m playing nickel or outside corner more, that’s kind of one of the things I lean to is just being able to blitz more,” Oliver said. “I feel like it just adds so much more to the game and just be around the ball so much more. I like blitzing a lot. And then obviously he has a lot of different schemes, a lot of different things he can draw up for all of us.”
Despite that background, Wilks insists everything the Niners do will start up front. The defensive line has been Shanahan and general manager John Lynch’s priority since they arrived in 2017 and that hasn’t changed.
Likewise, Wilks is a believer in the zone coverage that the Niners have largely preferred under Shanahan. In the past six seasons, San Francisco has played some form of zone on 59.8% of drop backs, the third highest percentage in the league. In 2019, Wilks had the Browns playing zone 57.8% of the time (fifth) and the Panthers did so on 57.7% of their coverage snaps (second) in 2017.
That should fit right into what Shanahan wants, though Wilks also has players like cornerback Charvarius Ward who can excel in press man coverage, which could allow him to mix things up further.
“Zone is still going to be a high-element of what we do,” Wilks said. “But I feel like we have the skillset and the talent to be able to get in a guy’s face, press man, make the quarterback hold the ball, particularly with our front.”
Beyond finding ways to add to what the Niners do, Wilks’ task this spring has been catching up on all the Niners have done defensively over the past six-plus years. Wilks has access to every piece of game and practice tape and can even watch every defensive meeting the team has held through that period.
As the 49ers opened organized team activities in late May, Wilks could be seen bouncing around the practice field with a similar energy to Ryans and Saleh. Wilks plans to call the defense from the coach’s box, noting that he sometimes gets too excited on the sideline. Reminded that Ryans and Saleh had a similar proclivity for fiery reactions, Wilks chuckles and notes that he could always change his mind.
The early returns from his players would indicate Wilks has already discovered a good mix of teaching and energy.
“It’s been a seamless transition,” Warner said. “He’s come in and he’s taken a hold of everything and we all respect the heck out him already… Everything we’ve done in the past is behind us. It’s a new year, a new opportunity… And I know Steve’s going to do an amazing job getting us ready.”