Why the 49ers Should Replace Steve Wilks Internally

The 49ers rich veteran defensive players such as Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and Arik Armstead don 't want some stranger to walk into their defensive meeting room and tell them to do things differently.

Face it. The players fired Steve Wilks.

Kyle Shanahan can say he slept on it and had a change of heart and simply decided Wilks was a bad fit after one season or whatever. But Shanahan hired Wilks, and Shanahan defended him all season, then Shanahan blew the Super Bowl because he didn't know the playoff overtime rules, and to placate his disgruntled players he fired a defensive coordinator they never wanted in the first place. That's what happened.

And why didn't the players want Wilks?

Because he's an outsider. Because he doesn't know the scheme they learned and perfected for years under Robert Saleh and DeMeco Ryans. Because they didn't want to learn a new scheme. Because they think they know better than Wilks. Because they think they can coach themselves.

The 49ers rich veteran defensive players such as Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and Arik Armstead don 't want some stranger to walk into their defensive meeting room and tell them to do things differently. The 49ers rich veteran defensive players simply want a friend as a defensive coordinator.

That's why the 49ers can't hire someone from outside the organization to replace Wilks. If they do, they run the same risk they ran with Wilks, because at any moment the 49ers rich veteran defensive players could turn on the next defensive coordinator, too.

The 49ers almost have to promote defensive backs coach Daniel Bullocks to defensive coordinator. He's been with the 49ers since 2017, he coached under Robert Saleh before that and the players seem to like him.

Perfect fit.