Why the 49ers Promoting From Within is a Sign of Success

Losing Robert Saleh and Mike LaFleur is a sizeable blow to the San Francisco 49ers.

Losing Robert Saleh and Mike LaFleur is a sizeable blow to the San Francisco 49ers.

Saleh led a constantly shuffling 49ers defense to a top-five ranking, while LaFluer contributed heavily to getting the passing game right. Filling the shoes of these two will not be an easy job, but luckily for the 49ers they have the right coaches in house for it. 

Linebackers coach DeMeco Ryans is reportedly going to succeed Saleh as the defensive coordinator. Kyle Shanahan had spoken at great lengths to the capability of Ryans at his exit presser, so the promotion of Ryans is not a surprise. Run game coordinator Mike McDaniel is also being promoted to offensive coordinator, so he will supplement the loss of LaFleur.

What is interesting about the openings at defensive coordinator and offensive coordinator is the 49ers did not look at replacements outside of the organization. By promoting coaches from within, the 49ers are showing signs of success with their team. 

It shows just how great Shanahan and John Lynch are at building their coaching staff. That they have superb coaches at almost every level of their team. The growth of their coaches that left and the ones that are being promoted shows a strong core. Best part of all is that the 49ers' schemes should not skip a beat. Ryans assuredly will keep the defensive style intact, while implementing his own wrinkles. As for McDaniel, he is going to give a new perspective with the passing game.

Promoting from within also indicates the culture of the franchise, which I have harped on as being a cohesive one since Shanahan and Lynch took over. There is definitely a lot of things these two could have done differently over the years. But the one thing that they got absolutely right was selecting the right personnel for their staff and front office.

Everything resonates because everyone buys in from the bottom to the top. The players see and feel that. Otherwise, the 49ers would have folded in the final games of the season when everything seemed hopeless.

So when it is time for Ryans and McDaniel to potentially leave down the road, you can trust in Shanahan and Lynch to find the adequate replacements to keep all cylinders clicking.


Published
Jose Luis Sanchez III
JOSE LUIS SANCHEZ III

Jose Luis Sanchez III has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily for FanNation since 2019. He started off as the lead publisher for FanNation's All49ers, then switched positions to become the Deputy Editor in 2020. Sanchez writes, edits, and produces videos daily for All49ers. He also co-hosts a show on YouTube with All49ers lead publisher Grant Cohn weekly. Prior to FanNation, Sanchez started his writing career back in 2016 for the school newspaper at Skyline college where he covered all sports team in the Bay Area. Following that from 2017 to 2019, he found a role as a contributor for FanSided's news desk along with their site's Just Blog Baby covering the Las Vegas Raiders and Golden Gate Sports every professional Bay Area sports team. Atop all of that, he was able to graduate with a Bachelors degree in Communication Studies at San Francisco State University in 2020. Sanchez is committed to ensuring he delivers transparent analysis and straightforward opinions that resonates with readers to get them thinking.