49ers Could Pursue RBs Coach Bobby Turner
New 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan could look to pilfer one of his Atlanta subordinates, as running backs coach Bobby Turner could be leaving the Falcons for San Francisco, reports D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Turner has long been associated with Shanahan and his father, Mike, having coached with the family in Denver and Washington before joining the Falcons in 2015. A previous report indicated Atlanta was unlikely to allow Turner to follow Shanahan to the West Coast.
- Former North Carolina State defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen has been hired in the same role by the Saints, reports Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports (Twitter link). New Orleans originally pursued former 49ers head coach Jim Tomsula for the position, but will instead roll with Nielsen, who’s coached with the Wolfpack since 2014.
- The Bears could have interest in hiring Bob Bicknell as their new wide receivers coach, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Bicknell has coached wideouts at the NFL level since 2012, spending time with Buffalo, Philadelphia, and San Francisco, and isn’t expected to retained by the 49ers.
49ers Could Have Interest In Jay Cutler
If the 49ers aren’t able to land quarterbacks Kirk Cousins or Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason, the club may express interest in veteran Jay Cutler, two sources tell Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link).
[RELATED: 49ers Hire Kyle Shanahan]
New San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan is expected to pursue Cousins, whom he previously coached in Washington, but the Redskins are unlikely to let their signal-caller get away without a fight. Garoppolo, too, may be on the table, but the Patriots have reportedly placed a high asking price on its backup quarterback, and the 49ers would have competition for his services. Matt Schaub has also been tossed out as a possible bridge option for the Niners, but Cutler would present an even more intriguing option in the same vein.
Shanahan doesn’t have a working relationship with Cutler, but his father does, as Mike Shanahan traded up in the 2006 draft to select Cutler while serving as head coach of the Broncos. Not only does Kyle Shanahan employ many of the same offensive schemes as did his father, but new 49ers general manager John Lynch played for Mike Shanahan, and is said to be willing to accept advice from the longtime NFL coach. As such, a somewhat tangential connection between Cutler and San Francisco could appear a bit more realistic.
The Bears are fully expected to release Cutler in the coming months, clearing $14MM in cap space by doing so. If and when he becomes a free agent, Cutler — despite his lackluster 2016 results — would be among the best quarterbacks available on the open market, joining Cousins, Mike Glennon, and Brian Hoyer.
49ers Release Entire Strength And Conditioning Staff
- The 49ers have released their entire strength and conditioning staff, reports Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. This includes director of human performance Mark Uyeyama, strength, conditioning and nutrition assistant Kurt Schmidt, and strength and conditioning assistants Brian Johnson, Taylor Johnson and David Young. We learned last week that Uyeyama would be leaving the organization, and (as Maiocco notes on Twitter) Brian Johnson’s departure was evident after he took a job with Texas A&M. The reporter notes that Taylor Johnson “is still in play” to remain on Shanahan’s new staff.
- Former NFL defensive end Andre Carter will meet with the Dolphins regarding their assistant defensive line coach vacancy, reports Alex Marvez of The Sporting News. After being selected in the first-round of the 2001 draft, Carter spent 13 seasons in the NFL with the 49ers, Redskins, Patriots, and Raiders. Marvez notes that the 37-year-old spent the 2015 season as a student assistant coach at the University of California.
[SOURCE LINK]
49ers Hire Kyle Shanahan As Head Coach
After weeks of waiting for Atlanta’s season to end, the 49ers have finally named now-former Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan as their 20th head coach. Shanahan, 37, will join new general manager John Lynch in receiving a six-year contract to help turn around the 49ers, who went 2-14 in 2016 and are set to pick second in this spring’s draft.
Shanahan was among eight candidates the 49ers interviewed in January to succeed the fired Chip Kelly, and he became the runaway favorite for the job three weeks ago. His emergence as a shoo-in came after Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable withdrew from consideration.
Monday was the first day the 49ers could officially hire Shanahan, whose prolific offense led the Falcons to an 11-5, NFC South-winning regular-season mark, two playoff victories and a berth in Sunday’s Super Bowl. The Falcons collapsed on the sport’s biggest stage, though, as they blew a 28-3 second-half lead en route to a 34-28 overtime loss to McDaniels’ Patriots. Shanahan’s aggressive decisions in the fourth quarter, when the Falcons seemingly had a victory all but locked up, have since come under fire.
Despite his gaffes in Super Bowl LI, Shanahan is unquestionably among the NFL’s brightest offensive minds and is now parlaying his five-year career as a coordinator with the Texans, Redskins, Browns and Falcons into a head coaching position. Shanahan will have more responsibility than most neophytes, as he’ll have final say over the 49ers’ 53-man roster. His most important roster-related task this offseason will be helping the 49ers find a quarterback to replace Colin Kaepernick, whose tenure with the team is set to conclude.
Shanahan has long been a fan of Redskins standout Kirk Cousins, having coached him in Washington, and could pursue him either via trade or free agency in the coming months. Otherwise, Shanahan’s Plan B is reportedly Patriots backup Jimmy Garoppolo, who’s a trade candidate. If he and Lynch aren’t able to nab either of those two, they could turn to a veteran stopgap like Falcons reserve Matt Schaub and search for a younger option to become the franchise’s long-term solution.
The 49ers will have the means to make upgrades under center and elsewhere this offseason, as they lead the NFC in cap space (upward of $80MM, including the soon-to-be gone Kaepernick) and possess three of the draft’s first 66 picks. In the meantime, Shanahan will get to work on assembling a coaching staff. Given that all other newly named head coaches landed their positions well before Shanahan, he could be at a disadvantage in finding assistants.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
49ers To Hire Co-Defensive Coordinators?
Soon-to-be 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan‘s staff appears to be taking shape, as Sporting News’ Alex Marvez details (Twitter links here). Among the offensive-minded Shanahan’s most important calls will be deciding who will run the 49ers’ woeful defense, and he’s actually targeting two assistants – Falcons defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson and ex-Jaguars linebackers coach Robert Saleh – to work as co-coordinators in San Francisco.
Saleh’s candidacy is no surprise, as FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer reported Sunday that he could land with the 49ers, but Henderson’s emergence is a new development. Henderson is fresh off his first season in Atlanta – where he worked with Shanahan, of course – and is only a year removed from interviewing for the Browns’ then-vacant head coaching job.
Along with potentially taking Henderson from Atlanta, Shanahan is likely to tab Falcons offensive assistant Mike McDaniel as his wide receivers coach in San Francisco. Falcons offensive assistant Mike LaFleur will also go with Shanahan, reports Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (Twitter link).
Another NFC South assistant, Buccaneers tight ends coach Jon Embree, is poised to oversee the 49ers’ TEs and serve as an assistant head coach, per Marvez. And a pair of current 49ers assistants, linebackers coach Jason Tarver and defensive backs coach Jeff Hafley, are good bets to stay on under Shanahan. Tarver nearly headed elsewhere last month, when he met with the Redskins about becoming their defensive coordinator (a job that ultimately went to onetime 49ers DC Greg Manusky) and discussed a role with the Saints.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Poll: Do You View Kyle Shanahan Differently?
In the wake of what could have been the most exciting Super Bowl ever, everyone is trying to suss out exactly what happened: was Tom Brady a miracle worker or did the Falcons effectively give the game away? Things fell apart for Atlanta on both sides of the ball, but there is a lot of finger pointing in the direction of offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.
[RELATED: Shanahan To Have Control Over 49ers’ 53-Man Roster]
Shanahan, who will serve as the next coach of the 49ers, was hired to help get the offense back on track after two abysmal years. The Niners are hoping that he’ll exercise better judgement than he did in the late stages of last night’s game. The Pats rallied back from a 28-3 deficit to bring the score to 28-20 late in regulation. Instead of running the ball three times at the Pats’ 22-yard-line with ~4:30 left, Shanahan got too cute and called for a deep pass play on second down. Ryan got sacked on the play and the Falcons’ subsequent attempts to dig out of the hole only pushed them further out of field goal range. Atlanta was forced to punt on fourth down, and that set up the Pats’ tying drive.
Should this be chalked up to a momentary lapse in judgement, or do you think less of Shanahan’s ability to lead SF after last night’s costly error? Vote here and explain your position in the comments below.
2017 NFL Draft Order Set
With the Super Bowl in the rear view mirror, the offseason is officially underway for all 32 teams. We now have the complete draft order for the entire first round, with one exception which is noted below.
The Patriots, of course, will have the honor of having the last pick. The Falcons, after losing in heartbreaking fashion, will have the penultimate selection in the first round.
Here is the complete order, via ESPN.com’s Field Yates (Twitter links):
1. Browns
2. 49ers
3. Bears
4. Jaguars
5. Titans
6. Jets
7. Chargers
8. Panthers
9. Bengals
10. Bills
11. Saints
12. Browns
13. Cardinals
T-14. Eagles (via the Vikings)
T-14. Colts (Note: The Vikings and Colts have identical records and the same strength of schedule. The tie will be broke by coin flip with the winner getting pick No. 14 and the other team getting the No. 15 pick.)
16. Ravens
17. Redskins
18. Titans
19. Buccaneers
20. Broncos
21. Lions
22. Dolphins
23. Giants
24. Raiders
25. Texans
26. Seahawks
27. Chiefs
28. Cowboys
29. Packers
30. Steelers
31. Falcons
32. Patriots
Broncos Deployed John Lynch As Part-Time Scout
- More trades: we learned in recent weeks that the team is willing to deal backup Jimmy Garoppolo and that the 49ers, Browns, and Bears could be among the teams with interest. In her latest mailbag, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer believes the Browns would be willing to part with their No. 12 overall selection as part of a Garoppolo deal if that’s what it takes to land the young signal-caller.
- John Lynch isn’t completely devoid of scouting experience, with Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com noting the former Buccaneers and Broncos safety joining recently hired 49ers exec Adam Peters in Broncos meetings and prospect evaluations, eventually accompanying Denver’s contingent to the 2013 Combine. John Elway also put Lynch on some special assignments in recent offseasons, per Maiocco, dispatching the eventual Hall of Fame finalist to evaluate draft-eligible safeties.
Latest On 49ers’ DC Search
Now that the 49ers have settled, or are about to settle, their vacancies at GM and head coach, the team will move on to filling its coordinator positions. Two names have surfaced to potentially head up Kyle Shanahan‘s first San Francisco defense, Patriots linebackers coach Brian Flores and likely Chargers hire Robert Saleh, according to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports (Twitter link, via Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com) and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter).
Glazer reports Shanahan “will want” to talk to Flores about the DC vacancy. The two will coach against each other today, with Shanahan leading the Falcons’ offense for the final time. Rapoport notes Saleh is a candidate as well despite serving in a lower-profile capacity with the Jaguars the past three seasons.
[RELATED: 2017 Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Tracker]
Flores has not surfaced for any previous coordinator jobs this offseason and has spent one season as the Patriots’ linebackers instructor. However, the 35-year-old Flores has worked with the organization for 12 years — the past six as a defensive assistant. Previously, Flores coached New England’s safeties for four seasons before Steve Belichick took over that job, with Bill Belichick relocating Flores to the linebackers’ meetings. He does not have a connection to Shanahan since he’s spent his entire coaching career with the Patriots, but Saleh does.
The 38-year-old Saleh would make for an interesting candidate since he’s the likely choice to become the Chargers’ linebackers coach and follow Gus Bradley for a third time. He accompanied Bradley from Jacksonville to Los Angeles. The Bolts remain likely to hire Saleh as their linebackers coach, but he may have another higher-profile option. Saleh followed Bradley from Seattle to Jacksonville as well, but the duo initially worked together with the Texans during Shanahan’s time in Houston.
San Francisco previously targeted Bradley for this job, only he joined up with Anthony Lynn in Los Angeles after much consideration. The duo is vying to replace Jim O’Neil, who oversaw the league’s worst defense in 2016.
Latest On 49ers’ QB Outlook
Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is all but certain to be named the 49ers’ next head coach, and according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter), Atlanta’s current backup quarterback, Matt Schaub, could follow him to San Francisco. If that happens, Schefter says that Schaub could serve as a starter next season to bridge the gap to a younger signal-caller, or he could serve as a backup.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Kirk Cousins remains Shanahan’s first choice, but if the Cousins plan falls through, Rapoport indicates that Jimmy Garoppolo, the Patriots’ current backup QB, would be Shanahan’s Plan B, followed by Schaub as Plan C.
We heard several weeks ago that the 49ers could pursue Cousins, who is eligible for unrestricted free agency this year but who could receive the franchise tag for the second consecutive season. While the Redskins reportedly want to sign Cousins to a long-term deal, they are weighing their options in that regard, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggests that Washington could tag Cousins and trade him. The 49ers are one team with sufficient cap space to facilitate such a trade, and they would still have the opportunity to work out a long-term contract with Cousins before the summer deadline.
Garoppolo, meanwhile, is not eligible for free agency but is sure to attract attention in the trade market. While the Patriots are reportedly willing to deal him, there are a number of obstacles to such a trade, which makes Schaub the most realistic of the three above-mentioned options.
The Falcons signed Schaub to a one-year deal this past offseason, and he threw just three passes the entire season as the backup to the league MVP, Matt Ryan. Schaub was the Ravens’ backup quarterback in 2015, though he did get the opportunity to start two games for Baltimore in the wake of Joe Flacco‘s season-ending ACL tear that year. Before that, his last significant starting experience came with Houston in 2013. He of course put together a reasonably successful seven-year stint with the Texans — which included two Pro Bowl nods — after spending the first three years of his career in Atlanta, but his days as a starter are clearly over. As Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com tweets, Schaub has started just 10 games over the last four seasons, and during that time, he has compiled a 3-7 record with a whopping seven interceptions returned for touchdowns. So if he does head out to the Bay Area, it will be easy to forgive 49ers fans for being a little less than excited.