49ers fans in shambles as Kyle Shanahan names Brandon Staley for potential DC role - "Please God no"; "Joke of an organization"

Will Brandon Staley become Kyle Shanahan
Will Brandon Staley become Kyle Shanahan's defensive coordinator in 2025? (Image Source: Getty)

Kyle Shanahan needs a new defensive coordinator after ditching Nick Sorensen following a highly disappointing 2024 campaign. And as it turns out, he may not have to look that far to find one.

On Wednesday, the San Francisco 49ers' head coach revealed that current assistant Brandon Staley would be interviewed for the position for the second straight season:

Some fans, however, were aghast at the development:

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Here are some more reactions from fans on X/Twitter:

"Just get Saleh," one fan said.
"Get him out of the building and away from our defense," another fan said.
"This is a fireable offense," another added.

Shanahan had presaged this development, saying that he wanted a veteran for the job:

“I think having the experience of going through this before, building things before, I think is definitely a bonus for me," Shanahan said via SI.com. "It helps me with some stuff. So that's stuff I will look into.”

Shanahan also hinted at moving Sorensen elsewhere within the team, like special teams coordinator, in place of Brian Schneider.


Kyle Shanahan open to using different defensive schemes for 2025

Throughout the Kyle Shanahan era, the 49ers have employed a 4-3 defensive scheme, with Fred Warner playing an integral role as the middle linebacker, or "MIke". However, that may change soon, especially with Brandon Staley's history of using 3-4 schemes, which have become increasingly more prevalent in the NFL (the Pittsburgh Steelers most notably have no real defensive ends, instead using tackles like multiple-time Pro Bowler Cameron Heyward in that role in their base 3-4 scheme).

In that same presser, Shanahan said:

“I love the scheme that we've had here. I think it's one of the hardest things to go to when you’ve got the right guys in the right spots. But, I do think people adjust to schemes, and I think you have to adjust too depending on your personnel. And I think that was a tougher thing for us this year.
"I'm not saying you’ve got to change schemes, but you have to have the ability, the history and the knowledge of how to change some stuff up when you're in some certain situations. And I think that we do need that more going forward," he added.

On the other side of the ball, the 49ers have promoted Klay Kubiak to offensive coordinator. However, Shanahan will retain playcalling duties.

Do you think Brandon Staley is a good fit for the defensive coordinator position? Who do you think the 49ers should hire? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

49ers Fans! Check out the latest San Francisco 49ers Schedule and dive into the 49ers Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

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Edited by Veer Badani
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