The San Francisco 49ers are overhauling their training and strength teams, and it will start with a new position to oversee the entire operation. General manager John Lynch (via Matt Barrows) and head coach Kyle Shanahan (via Matt Maiocco) both confirmed to Bay Area media this week at the Senior Bowl that they are creating a role for someone who will in turn hire a new head trainer and a new strength coach.
The 49ers fired their head athletic trainer, Jeff Ferguson, and head strength coach, Ray Wright, after the season ended. The team has dealt with a host of injuries in recent years, and John Lynch said after the Ferguson firing that they needed to reboot the system.
“Following a thorough evaluation, we have determined that now is the right time for a reboot in the structure and protocols of our health and performance areas.”
Earlier this week, Shanahan said the hope is that this new position will, “mold those two places so you’re not dealing with separate parts of the building and we can make it a little more collaborative.” On Thursday, Lynch also acknowledged that the changes the 49ers are making have been influenced in part by conversations he’s had with Golden State Warriors GM Bob Myers and head coach Steve Kerr,
Lynch said the organization has interviewed eight candidates for the job and they will have follow-up interviews with two of them after the Super Bowl.