Despite the defense's struggles, the San Francisco 49ers have publicly supported defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen throughout the season. However, those endorsements only carry so much weight. The 49ers took a similar stance last season with Steve Wilks, whose time in Santa Clara ended abruptly following the team's Super Bowl appearance.
There's a possibility the 49ers could make another change at defensive coordinator, marking the second consecutive time a coordinator lasts just one season. Should that happen, one team insider has already floated a potential replacement.
"I see them pursuing the guy they really wanted this year, Jeff Ulbrich," wrote Matt Barrows in a recent mailbag for The Athletic.
The 49ers reportedly considered hiring Ulbrich as their defensive coordinator before settling on Sorensen. However, the New York Jets weren't about to let him go.
"There was mutual interest in exploring a marriage, according to multiple league sources, but ultimately the Jets made it clear that they were not going to let Ulbrich leave," Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic wrote in March.
At the time, Ulbrich was serving as the Jets' defensive coordinator, making a move to the 49ers a lateral one, which NFL teams can block. Although no formal interview request occurred, Rosenblatt's report makes it clear that the Jets had already drawn a firm line.
Currently acting as the Jets' interim head coach following the firing of Robert Saleh, Ulbrich would bring familiarity and history with the 49ers. The team drafted him in the third round of the 2000 NFL Draft, and he later served on the same Atlanta Falcons coaching staff with Kyle Shanahan in 2015 and 2016. Shanahan was the offensive coordinator there and Ulbrich was the linebackers coach.
"Brich's a great coach and a good friend also that I have a history with," Shanahan said before the 49ers' season opener against the Jets. Shanahan has also described Ulbrich as "one of my favorite coaches in the league."
If the 49ers decide to overhaul their defensive staff once again, and with the Jets likely revamping their coaching staff in the offseason, Shanahan could have an opportunity to pursue Ulbrich.
