49ers Interview Brandon Staley, Nick Sorensen for DC Job After Steve Wilks Firing

The San Francisco 49ers have interviewed Brandon Staley and Nick Sorensen for their defensive coordinator vacancy, head coach Kyle Shanahan told NBC Sports' Matt Maiocco.

Staley, the former head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, was fired in December following a 5-9 start to the season. He led the Chargers from 2021 to 2023.

Sorensen has been with the 49ers since 2022, joining the team as a defensive assistant and serving as the pass game coordinator last season.

San Francisco fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks earlier in February after just one season in his position.

Wilks' firing, which occurred just days after the Super Bowl, came after mixed results from the 49ers defense. San Francisco took a step back from the 2022 season when it led the league in points allowed per game and defensive expected points added under former defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans. The 49ers gave up just 17.5 points per game this past season but struggled in the playoffs on the defensive side.

While Staley has spent the last few seasons as a head coach, his background is as a defensive coach. He was the Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator in 2020 and held several different defensive positions before that.

His defenses with the Chargers weren't anything to marvel at, though. In all three seasons in Los Angeles, the Chargers ranked outside of the top 20 in points and yards allowed.

Sorensen has not held a defensive coordinator position in his coaching career, but has spent nearly a decade serving in various defensive coaching positions.

The 49ers are also expected to have another internal candidate, as defensive backs coach Daniel Bullocks is expected to interview for the position later this week. Bullocks has been on staff since 2017.

The 49ers were just shy of winning a Super Bowl last season. Now, Shanahan is looking to find the right defensive coordinator to take them all the way next year.