The San Francisco 49ers will formally introduce new head coach Kyle Shanahan to the media on Thursday at 1:00 p.m. PT. There will be questions about his staff, but in the meantime, the group is slowly coming together. The 49ers will likely not announce any assistant hirings until the full process is complete, but in the meantime, we are getting a better idea of the staff each day.
The most notable thing we have learned is that Shanahan will likely handle the offensive coordinator duties. He has worked extensively as an OC, and it is his offense that is being installed. Position coaches will be kept plenty busy, but it’s Shanahan’s offense.
The defensive side of the ball seems to be filling out as well. Robert Saleh and Jerome Henderson are being targeted as co-defensive coordinators. All the position coaches are important, but the defensive coordinator(s) role will be critical. Shanahan will need to have an understanding of both sides of the ball as head coach, but the nitty gritty will be handled by his coordinator, unlike on the offensive side of the ball. I think there are more valuable assets on the defensive side of the ball, but we don’t know what the new coordinator(s) plans on doing with that group.
Here is how Shanahan’s coaching staff is reported to look like as his inaugural press conference approaches.
Quarterbacks: Rich Scangarello (Link)
Running Backs: Bobby Turner (Link)
Wide Receivers: Mike McDaniel (Link)
Tight Ends: Jon Embree (AHC)
Offensive Line: TBD
Defensive coordinator: Robert Saleh, Jerome Henderson (Link)
Defensive Line: Jeff Zgonina (Link)
Linebackers: Jason Tarver (Link)
Defensive Backs: Jeff Hafley (Link)
Special Teams: Richard Hightower (Link) OR Eric Sutulovich (Link)