The San Francisco 49ers’ list of potential defensive coordinator candidates appears to be short, and it got shorter Saturday when NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero reported the Atlanta Falcons were set to hire Jeff Ulbrich as their new defensive coordinator.
Ulbrich has been a popular name in the 49ers’ defensive coordinator conversation because of the success he had running the New York Jets defense under then-head coach Robert Saleh. He was also the Jets’ interim head coach after Saleh was fired.
Saleh is the other name atop the 49ers’ list. He is one of the two interviews they’ve completed. Detroit Lions defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend is the other they’ve announced. Assistant head coach Brandon Staley is also expected to get an interview. Former Saints DC and head coach Dennis Allen is another name to watch per ESPN.
The Falcons hiring Ulbrich isn’t a huge issue since the team seems to have zeroed in on Saleh. However, Saleh has three head coach interviews and there’s a real chance the 49ers miss out on a chance to bring him in because he landed one of those jobs.
This could become a significant problem for San Francisco. They’re aiming for experience and continuity at the DC position and the net they’re casting has been exceedingly narrow. If they continue taking their time waiting on Saleh, they could wind up scrambling to just hire a new coach before new coaching staffs starting getting built out. That puts them in a very precarious position at perhaps the most important position on their coaching staff in the offseason.