Inside Linebackers Coach DeMeco Ryans of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)
The SF 49ers will look different from a coaching perspective in 2021 with the departure of now-NY Jets head coach Robert Saleh creating holes at defensive coordinator and in the offensive coaching room.
Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan opted to promote from within to keep some talented members of his coach staff in the building, moving Mike McDaniel, formerly the run-game coordinator, to offensive coordinator and DeMeco Ryans, formerly the linebackers coach, to defensive coordinator.
Both McDaniel and Ryans will be first-time coordinators, and while McDaniel’s role as a play-caller is uncertain with Shanahan having served as the de facto OC during his years in San Francisco, Ryans will undoubtedly be responsible for not only the defensive scheme but the in-game playcalling.