Scrutiny of 49ers Defensive Coordinator Should be Limited

The defense of the 49ers has had some issues this season with defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen unnecessarily taking the full force of the blame.

Jul 25, 2024; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen answers questions at a press conference following Day 3 of training camp at SAP Performance Facility. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images / D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

2024 was supposed to be the season the San Francisco 49ers defense returned to its dominant form. They promoted Nick Sorensen to defensive coordinator since he's familiar with how a 49ers dominant defense is supposed to look.

Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case. The defense hasn't been bad at all this season except for their last two games. But it certainly hasn't been a unit that strikes fear in offenses like it used to under former defensive coordinators Robert Saleh and DeMeco Ryans

Naturally, Sorensen is the guy who is going to catch the full force of the blame for it. While he does deserve some flack, the scrutiny of Sorensen should be limited. For starters, Sorensen has been dealing with missing key players for the majority of the season.

It is an excuse that holds more credence with him than it does Kyle Shanahan on the offense because he is a rookie coordinator. The defense is also nowhere near as talented as they are on offense, so Sorensen struggling with missing and injured players like Fred Warner is going to hurt him.

Second, Sorensen isn't responsible for his players whiffing tackles and failing to make a play on the ball at an alarming rate. The players are in the right position, which is a credit to Sorensen. But his guys aren't making the play. The 49ers rank No. 21 in team run stuff rate at 15.9 percent. This is part of why the run defense isn't good this year and why explosive plays are more prevalent.

Third, the pass rush has been nonexistent. There are moments in the game where it's alive, but nothing more than that. The overhaul at the defensive line the 49ers made in the offseason has failed them. Getting rid of Arik Armstead has failed them. Adding Maliek Collins and Jordan Elliot as replacements hasn't panned out. That isn't on Sorensen.

This season has shown just how talent-deficient the 49ers are on defense. And for a rookie playcaller, it's going to be tough to put on a high-level product. Yet, for the majority of the season, the defense has been fine. Again, they aren't the usual dominant level we've seen from them under previous defensive coordinators.

But they haven't been a bottom-feeding unit. Between the offense and the defense, it is the defense that has been the best side of the ball for the 49ers this year. Sorensen has had some struggles and made some mistakes, but he doesn't deserve the full force of the blame for the woes. Even Shanahan acknowledges that.

"I'm very satisfied with Nick," Shanahan said. "I'm not at all satisfied with the results and how it's going right now. But, some of the mistakes that we've made, I don't think or what's happened here in these last two weeks, I don't think that's a schematic issue. It's a little bit more of a fundamental issue. And that also starts with me. That goes to all coaching, and it goes down to the players, it goes to everyone in this building. But the results here these last two weeks haven't changed my opinion on Nick.”

Don't be surprised if Sorensen holds onto his job in 2025.

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