John Lynch Drops Hints about the 49ers' Next Defensive Coordinator

On Tuesday, Lynch was asked if not having a defensive coordinator would impact how the 49ers evaluate players this offseason.

Sounds like the 49ers might repeat the Steve Wilks experiment with a different defensive coordinator next season.

Remember, the 49ers hired Wilks to run their defense, not his defense, and then fired him after one season. It seems like the 49ers could do that again without someone else.

On Tuesday, Lynch was asked if not having a defensive coordinator would impact how the 49ers evaluate players this offseason.

"No," Lynch said, "because I think we have a great idea who we're going to be and continue to be and the things we believe in. So is it important? Sure. We're working towards that. Kyle's working towards that. That will come in due time here, but we want to be true to the process, learn a lot from it, identify some of the changes and tweaks we want to make, while still staying kind of (true) to our core."

TRANSLATION: The 49ers aren't going to bring someone in who will make big changes on the defense, so forget Bill Belichick. Instead, they'll hire someone and allow him to make minor tweaks and changes.

Sounds like the 49ers want to hire former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley and force him to run their Wide 9 defensive scheme. If that's the case, what a mistake. Staley comes from a 3-4 background, just like Wilks, and would be an awkward schematic fit with the 49ers.

In addition, Staley is a dour, quiet coach, similar to Kyle Shanahan. That's not what Shanahan needs. He needs an energetic, upbeat coach that the players will buy into, similar to Robert Saleh or DeMeco Ryans. That's not Staley. That's defensive backs coach Daniel Bullocks.

Let's see if the 49ers hire the right man for the job.