Which Coach Departure Will Sting the 49ers the Most?

Quite a handful of coaches left the 49ers this offseason. Which one will sting the most?

Quite a handful of coaches left the 49ers this offseason.

About nine of them have found greener pastures or have taken a leave of absence. Some of them were “good riddance” departures such as former special teams coach Richard Hightower, while some others were rough goodbyes like former wide receivers coach Wes Welker.

Which coach’s departure will sting the 49ers the most?

Without question it is Mike McDaniel.

Losing yet another right-hand man in consecutive seasons for Kyle Shanahan is a sting. First it was Mike LaFleur to the Jets last year, now it is McDaniel to the Dolphins this year. Shanahan is now without a coach who he has relied and depended upon for the last decade and more. 

2022 is going to be uncharted territory for Shanahan and a learning process for him. It is why getting an experienced coach like Anthony Lynn was necessary. He can step into the fold and be impactful from the immediate start. Bobby Slowik is also someone who Shanahan is fond of and will be able to shrink the hole left by McDaniel. He is surely the next coach to fill into that “right-hand man” void.

But it is going to be tough for Shanahan. The offensive struggles the 49ers faced the first half of the season is not too coincidental. It was the first season that Shanahan had to operate without LaFleur since taking over as head coach of the 49ers. The offense was lacking an identity and I think losing LaFleur played at least a bit of role in that.

Now the 49ers could face some offensive hiccups again early on with McDaniel gone. There could be a point where Shanahan thinks “if only Mike was still here” should the offense struggle. Losing McDaniel won’t be heavily detrimental. That’s what Lynn and Slowik are for -- to erase or shrink it. 

Still, Shanahan is going to have a new process with his weekly gameplanning. He’s going from a guy in McDaniel who he has known and trusted for years to a coach he’s hardly worked with in Lynn and Slowik who is slowly rising in the ranks.

2022 is going to be a learning process for Shanahan without McDaniel.