The San Francisco 49ers continue reshaping their defensive staff under head coach Kyle Shanahan and new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris.
According to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, the 49ers are expected to hire veteran assistant Jerry Gray to replace former defensive backs coach Daniel Bullocks, who departed for the Green Bay Packers.
The #49ers are expected to hire veteran defensive backs coach Jerry Gray, sources tell @CBSSports.
Gray was assistant head of defense for Atlanta the last three years. In addition to that and his time as a DB coach, was also a defensive coordinator for both the Titans and Bills. pic.twitter.com/RN0r4aWFuY
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) February 15, 2026
Gray brings decades of NFL experience as both a player and coach. A first-round pick by the Los Angeles Rams in 1985, he spent six seasons with the franchise before closing his playing career with the Houston Oilers in 1992 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1993.
He began his coaching career at SMU (1995–1996) as a defensive backs coach before breaking into the NFL with the Tennessee Titans organization in 1997. Gray helped guide the franchise to Super Bowl XXXIV during the 1999 season.
Gray later served as the Buffalo Bills' defensive coordinator from 2001 to 2005. He then worked as a defensive backs coach with Washington (then the Washington Redskins) from 2006 to 2009 and with the Seattle Seahawks in 2010.
He returned to Tennessee as defensive coordinator from 2011 to 2013, then spent six seasons (2014–2019) coaching defensive backs for the Minnesota Vikings and three more (2020–2022) with the Packers. Most recently, Gray spent three seasons (2023–2025) as assistant head coach and defensive assistant with the Atlanta Falcons.
The move reunites Gray with Morris, his former head coach in Atlanta, and adds a seasoned defensive mind to a 49ers staff aiming to reestablish its dominance in 2026.
H/t to Mike Masala of Niners Wire for the find.
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