Vic Fangio, Steve Wilks Among Potential San Francisco 49ers Replacements For DeMeco Ryans

The San Francisco 49ers are officially looking for a new defensive coordinator after DeMeco Ryans was hired to be the head coach of the Houston Texans.

Ryans’ departure brings to an end his memorable two-year run as coordinator of a defense that was the best in the NFL in the 2022 season.

San Francisco ranked first in Football Outsiders DVOA on defense, with Ryans’ ability to get the most out of the plethora of talent at his disposal and present opposing offenses with a variety of looks proving key in the 49ers going to the NFC Championship Game in successive seasons.

Ryans will now look to turn his leadership qualities to the task of revitalizing a Texans franchise that resides in the NFL cellar, leaving the 49ers with a significant hole to fill on their staff.

And the Niners have gotten a head start on replacing Ryans, requesting interviews with several candidates.

According to ESPN’s Josina Anderson, the 49ers are planning to speak to former Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator and head coach Steve Wilks as well as ex-Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio, who was San Francisco’s defensive coordinator under Jim Harbaugh between 2011 and 2014, and Washington Commanders defensive backs coach Chris Harris.

Harris is seen as a rising star in the coaching ranks, though it is the links with Wilks and Fangio that will likely generate more intrigue.

Wilks went 6-6 as the Panthers’ interim coach after replacing Matt Rhule, with Carolina ranked 14th in the NFL in yards per game allowed across the final eight games of the regular season.

The development from the likes of linebacker Frankie Luvu and former first-round pick Jaycee Horn that Wilks oversaw in his sole season in Carolina is a feather in his cap.

The Niners will lose veteran depth in the offseason, so continued progress from players such as edge rusher Drake Jackson, cornerback Deommodore Lenoir and All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga will be a must for their defense to remain at the top of the league.

Yet the 49ers may deem that their best path to remaining at the summit is to employ the man whose defensive scheme has become the pre-eminent one in the NFL in recent years.

Fangio disciples have spread across the NFL and it is no surprise that the Panthers, Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins have all been credited in an interest in the former Denver Broncos head coach.

But the 49ers offer Fangio the best route to contending for a Super Bowl and have the most talent of any his suitors.

Bringing back Fangio would have the dual benefit of allowing the San Francisco secondary to play the shell coverages with which its defensive backs will already be extremely familiar and diversifying things up front. Fangio and the coaches who have employed his system have relied heavily on fronts with three-down linemen, while the 49ers under Ryans and previously Robert Saleh have predominantly used four-man lines.

The 49ers will face stiff competition for Fangio’s services, but the fact general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan have moved so quickly is encouraging for the 49ers.

Finding someone to fill Ryans’ shoes will be a difficult ask but, if the Niners can pair the NFL’s most influential offensive mind in Shanahan with the man whose defense has become de rigueur in the league, hope of another deep playoff run in the 2023 season should rapidly increase.