The San Francisco 49ers underwent another significant coaching change at defensive coordinator in the offseason, as DeMeco Ryans accepted a head coaching job with the Houston Texans, leading the team to hire Steve Wilks to fill the vacancy.
Wilks, last seen as an interim head coach with the Carolina Panthers this past season, differs from San Francisco's previous defensive coordinator candidates, having accumulated extensive experience on his resume, both as a coordinator and a head coach, primarily specializing in the secondary.
Ahead of hiring Wilks, head coach Kyle Shanahan stressed the importance of continuity with the defensive scheme that has generated success for the 49ers over the past four seasons as a primary aspect of the coaching search.
But, with a man of Wilks's expertise, there are bound to be some changes within the 49ers' defense. What will they be, and how does that impact San Francisco's defensive ceiling in 2023?
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Aggressiveness
The biggest change when it comes to the 49ers' past and Wilks's tendencies as a defensive coordinator comes down to his aggressiveness, which has been duly noted at every stop he's been at.
During his last stint as a defensive coordinator, Wilks held a blitz rate of 38.2% with the Cleveland Browns, ranking fifth in the NFL in 2019, with a tendency to blitz defensive backs, holding the second-highest rate for the position in 2019.
With the Carolina Panthers last season, Wilks's had the sixth-highest blitz rate at 33.5%. Meanwhile, the 49ers increased their blitzing tendencies, taking advantage of Ryans's ability for calling well-timed blitzes, but still only had the 20th-highest rate in the NFL at 21.6%.
Upon arriving with the 49ers, Wilks acknowledged his desire to be a little more aggressive, citing the linebacker talent with Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw at the helm.
"At times, do I want to be a little bit more aggressive with the talent and athleticism that we have at linebacker?" Wilks said, per David Lombardi of the Athletic. "Yes."
I share reservations with the idea of increased blitzing with the current 49ers' roster, as the front seven has been able to generate success without the overuse of blitzes in the past.
Additionally, the 49ers have a strong symbiotic relationship between their defensive line and their secondary: one strengthens the other, which would be tampered with if an increased onus was placed on the secondary due to blitzes.
Am I saying that the 49ers shouldn't blitz at all? No, but the team should continue playing to their strengths, while utilizing well-timed blitzes with defensive backs or linebackers, as DeMeco Ryans was able to accomplish.
Zone vs Man
The 49ers have implemented a healthy balance of zone coverage within their defense over the past few years, sporting a Cover-3 look at amongst the league's highest rates in 2022.
Wilks operates similarly, as the Cleveland Browns had a top-five rate in zone usage during Wilks's stint in 2019, matching what the 49ers have been near over the past few seasons.
However, the defensive coordinator hinted at an increased usage of man-coverage, displaying confidence in the 49ers' secondary in press-man, which would play more into his desire of an aggressive scheme.
"I believe in zone eyes, I think that's how you make plays on the football, particularly from the underneath positions, so zone is still going to be a high element of what we do," Wilks said to the media. "But I feel like we have the skillset and the talent to be able to get in a guy's face, press-man, make the quarterback hold the ball, particularly with our front."
There has been an increased notion over recent offseasons that the 49ers could shift to more man-coverage, signing Charvarius Ward, a corner who primarily was featured in man-coverage during his time with the Kansas City Chiefs, and drafting players like Darrell Luter Jr., who is better fit for a press-man defensive scheme.
More man coverage would place a bigger onus on the secondary in coverage, allowing Wilks to blitz more, while trusting his cornerbacks down the field in coverage.
From the booth
Perhaps the biggest change that will certainly come with the arrival of Steve Wilks is having the defensive coordinator call plays in the booth, rather than on the sideline, as has been the case with Robert Saleh and DeMeco Ryans.
Not only does it change communication plans, but it also takes away an energy figure off the sidelines which has been significantly influential for the 49ers since Kyle Shanahan became the head coach of the team.
While I'm sure the 49ers will be able to adjust as the season goes along, I wonder how much of a role Wilks's presence in the booth plays early in the season as the playcaller gets adjusted to his new team.