Andy Reid to Kyle Shanahan’s Steve Spagnuolo may be Brandon Staley.

The 49ers are without Steve Wilks as their defensive coordinator.

The decision by Kyle Shanahan to remove Wilks on Wednesday, only three days after Super Bowl LVIII, was the right one.

Though it won’t last forever, the Niners still have a great chance to win a Super Bowl.

It is imperative that the incoming defensive coordinator be the appropriate person, something Wilks demonstrated throughout the season he was not.

Who will come next?

Having just played a game on Sunday, the Niners are a little bit late in the game to bring on a DC.

Furthermore, there aren’t any strong inside candidates for the position, similar to the previous summer when Shanahan hired Wilks.

(With regrets to Nick Sorensen and Daniel Bullocks.)
But one name immediately rises to the top of the list.

Brandon Staley.

Hear me out before you break out the pitchforks.

That was an awful job for the previous head coach of the Chargers.

Nobody is going to argue with that.

However, he won’t be hired for that position; instead, he will be hired as a defensive coordinator.

There’s a significant difference, my friend.

He’s quite good at that last gig.

His defensive game plans are as creative, effective, and sensible as those of any coach. In addition, he studies under Vic Fangio.

You most likely recall Shanahan’s request for Fangio in 2017—the former defensive coordinator for Jim Harbaugh.

Additionally, the Niners could have been able to sign Fangio two seasons ago if they hadn’t been playing deep into the playoffs the previous two seasons.

He rejoined the league with the Dolphins the previous season, but he departed that position to take a DC position with the Eagles this summer.

The next best thing, though, is Staley. He may even be superior.

Fangio brought Staley out of obscurity while he was in Chicago; at the time,

he was the defensive coordinator at NCAA Division III John Carroll University. After that, Fangio brought Staley along to Denver.

Fangio was proved to be right when he saw something in this man.

Staley was appointed defensive coordinator by Sean McVay, Shanahan’s rival and protégé, for the 2020 campaign.

He was hired as head coach of the Chargers thanks to his work with the Rams.

However, he rose too quickly.

You are promoted to the point of incompetence, which is the epitome of the Peter principle.

His career with the Chargers got off to a promising start, but the last two years were disastrous.

You can point the finger at the Chargers’ ownership, the front office for signing bad contracts to older players and failing to draft well,

Justin Herbert for not developing into a better quarterback, and Staley, whose fake, quant schtick began to look phony after the team blew a 27-0 lead in the 2022 Wild Card round.

Staley will never again be the head coach in this league, that much is certain.

Despite his sharp intellect, he lacks the political acumen to manage a whole team. In addition,

since he coaches defense, he won’t be given much leeway in interviews because the league prioritizes offense.

However, Shanahan could use some consistency in the role after losing three coordinators in four years.

Shanahan needs a replacement for Andy Reid in the form of Steve Spagnuolo,

another defensive wizard whose miserable head coaching career guarantees he will never be hired for that position again.

Even though Shanahan is engaged in every aspect of the 49ers, he gives his defensive coordinator a great deal of liberty.

The concept is that they get together before a game and manage their teams, Shanahan handles his.

Under Robert Saleh and DeMeco Ryans, such model was employed.

Under Wilks, it was ineffective because Shanahan had to intervene on a regular basis to keep the program going. Frequently,

it wasn’t. (Although it was easy for other teams to sprint against these Niners.)

Staley doesn’t have a defensive philosophy that will supersede what the Niners currently practice. He is practical.

Similar to Bill Belichick (who, despite what some fool on social media claims, will not be taking this job),

Staley oversaw week-by-week defensive game plans with the Chargers and Rams. Unlike Wilks, he will comprehend the assignment.

It is also safe to entrust him with leading a defense as its “head coach.”

Just keep him away from the offense.

Staley is the man for the job if Shanahan wants to make sure he has someone who can do the job well and won’t need him to do this again anytime soon,

even if other candidates will undoubtedly be taken into consideration

the Niners just went through this process a year ago, after all.