Jan. 19, 2026, 10:46 p.m. PT

With Robert Saleh on track to join the Tennessee Titans as their next head coach, the San Francisco 49ers will now begin their search for a fourth defensive coordinator in the last four years.

It’ll be interesting to see how they approach their search this time after badly botching the search after the 2023 season and eventually landing on first-time coordinator Nick Sorensen. Last offseason they had Saleh in their sites and landed him thanks to the head coaching market drying up.

This year they likely knew there was a strong chance Saleh was going to be one-and-done, which gave them ample time to set up a contingency plan.

Perhaps they dig deep for a young, unproven candidate from another coaching staff. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise if they aim for a proven commodity in the defensive coordinator ranks, or bring up an internal candidate who has been groomed for the position a la DeMeco Ryans in 2021 after Saleh was first hired as a head coach by the New York Jets.

Here are four names that should be at the top of their list as their DC search begins:

Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.Jim Schwartz

There’s a chance Schwartz stands pat in Cleveland where he’s been the last three seasons with one of the NFL’s top defensive units. They’ve yet to hire a new head coach after firing Kevin Stefanski. If Schwartz leaves, the 49ers should be one of the first teams to call him with a sizable offer on the table. He’s a proven, excellent defensive coach who has given 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan fits over the years. San Francisco wouldn’t have to change their defense structurally and they’d be bringing in a high-level coordinator who could most easily replace Saleh as an impact assistant.

Gus Bradley

Bradley spent last season on the 49ers coaching staff as the assistant head coach of defense. He was the Seattle Seahawks DC from 2009-12 with a young Saleh on his coaching staff. After flailing as a head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2013-16, he caught on with the Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders and Indianapolis Colts as a coordinator before joining the 49ers for the 2025 campaign. Experience and continuity are the benefits of elevating Bradley to that spot, but his recent run as a coordinator hasn’t been particularly inspiring, drawing questions about whether he’s been able to adapt his scheme to slow modern offenses. How he contributed to their defense this season will play a big role in whether they think he’s capable of elevating that unit.

Raheem Morris

This would be an interesting hire. Morris and Shanahan came up together in the early 2000s with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and spent time together on the Washington coaching staff in 2012 and 2013, and on Atlanta’s coaching staff in 2015-16. Morris held a ton of jobs during his six-year tenure in Atlanta before eventually joining the Los Angeles Rams as their defensive coordinator in 2021, and holding that spot until he was hired as the Falcons head coach in 2024. Morris is a creative defensive coach, but it would either take a scheme adjustment from him or some significant changes to what the 49ers have historically done under Shanahan in order for Morris to fit with their club. Adaptability may be key though as San Francisco enters a new era.

Daniel Bullocks

If there was a person on the 49ers staff who was groomed to move into the lead role, it would be Bullocks who has been with the club for all nine of Shanahan’s seasons. It would be the next logical step for a coach that has slowly risen up the ranks. He began as an assistant defensive backs coach for two seasons starting in 2017. Then he was promoted to safeties coach from 2019-22. After one year as a defensive backs coach he had defensive passing game specialist added to his title. If San Francisco wants to go with a young, internal hire in hopes of replicating their success with Ryans, the soon-to-be 43-year-old Bullocks would make a lot of sense.

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