Kyle Shanahan says He's Open to Changing the 49ers' Defensive Scheme

The 49ers defensive scheme is somewhat outdated.

Jan 5, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The 49ers defensive scheme is somewhat outdated.

They're still running the same defensive scheme that the Seahawks ran 10 years ago under head coach Pete Carroll. The freaking Seahawks don't even run this scheme anymore -- that's how out of style it has become.

And yet, the 49ers hired Nick Sorensen last year primarily because he coached under Carroll for years and was familiar with his scheme.

Now Sorensen has been relieved of his duties as a defensive coordinator, and Kyle Shanahan says he's open to hiring someone who coaches a different scheme.

“I love the scheme that we've had here," Shanahan said. "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. Just going into the season, it was a little bit harder than past seasons and some of the injuries we had, I think, made it really tough for Nick. And I thought he got better trying to adjust and do different things, but I do think that's something that definitely, 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.”

Sounds like Shanahan still wants someone from the Carroll coaching tree, but someone who also knows other schemes as well, unlike Sorensen.

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