New coordinator Steve Wilks brings ‘tweaks’ to maximize 49ers’ defense
SANTA CLARA — More blitzes. More powerful defensive linemen. More man-to-man coverage.
The 49ers want more out of their star-studded defense, and new coordinator Steve Wilks strives to do that with aggressive yet complementary measures.
Not that Wilks thinks anything is glaringly wrong with what has kept the 49ers in perennial playoff contention.
“You have to embrace the success that they’ve had here,” Wilks said Friday in his first remarks since being hired three months ago.
“It is a foundation that we all agree we wanted to keep,” Wilks added, “and it is an opportunity as we go through the process, which we already have, to try to tweak things a little bit.”
One noticeable tweak: Wilks will call the defensive signals from the coaches’ booth, rather than on the sideline like fiery predecessors Robert Saleh and DeMeco Ryans, who parlayed their coordinator posts into head-coaching jobs with the New York Jets (in 2021) and Houston Texans (2023), respectively.
Wilks considers the upstairs booth a better place to hide his emotions, clear his mind, and dial up the next call for a unit featuring All-Pros in Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and Talanoa Hufanga, plus other elite defenders.
“I still think there’s room for improvement,” Wilks, 53, said. “If you talk to the players, they would tell you the same. So when it’s not broke, you don’t really want to try to fix it and once again, we’ve had a lot of success around here, and we just want to continue to build on that.”
This offseason’s building blocks are obvious personnel moves, but also some philosophical tendencies, such as using linebackers or defensive backs to blitz with an already respected four-man defensive front.
That could put more pressure on cornerbacks in man coverage, so roughing up receivers at the line of scrimmage with press technique could be more commonplace. Wilks’ background is with cornerbacks, and they will command his focus on the practice field.
“Do I feel we have the skill set to play more man? Yes,” Wilks said. “At times, do I want to be more aggressive with the talent and athleticism we have at linebacker? Yes.”
It’s all meant to enhance the defensive front, which general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan committed as their No. 1 priority to improve this offseason.
Wilks is grateful to have Bosa set the standard with his work ethic, saying they’ve exchanged texts this offseason while Bosa goes through his routine offseason workouts in Florida.
As for the rest of that defensive line, Wilks calls Javon Hargrave a huge addition in free agency. Perhaps unexpected are the strides Javon Kinlaw and Drake Jackson are making, having been an everyday presence in the 49ers’ strength and conditioning program this offseason.
Wilks said Kinlaw “has just been tremendous,” and that Jackson put on needed weight for a promising “sophomore leap.”
More reinforcements came via free agency (linemen Clelin Ferrell, Austin Bryant and Marlon Davidson; defensive backs Isaiah Oliver and Myles Hartsfield).
Then more came from the draft, where the 49ers selected safety Ji’Ayir Brown, cornerback Darrell Luter Jr. and linebackers Dee Winters and Jalen Graham, all four of whom impressed in Friday’s first practice of rookie minicamp.
#49ers safety Ji’Ayir Brown, their top pick, hasn’t stopped smiling since they took him in the 3rd round pic.twitter.com/TUolrEYtRl
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) May 12, 2023
Brown was the 49ers’ top pick with the No. 87 overall selection in Round 3, and Wilks became just as smitten with him in the pre-draft process as Lynch’s scouting department.
“I said this guy right here could be the future for us,” said Wilks, who now must weigh when Brown is ready to succeed Tashaun Gipson Sr. as the safety next to Hufanga.
Brown said he was amazed by how well he connected with Wilks and Lynch (a Pro Football Hall of Fame safety) in a pre-draft visit to the 49ers.
“We had almost like a father-son talk when I was on my visit,” Brown said. “He’s a great guy and has a vision for this team that I follow. He gave me some words of advice that I will forever carry with me.”
Brown kept that advice private.
Wilks kept private his thoughts on not being retained after going 6-6 as the Carolina Panthers’ interim coach last season. He went 3-13 as the Arizona Cardinals coach in 2018, after interviewing the previous year with the Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants.
Wilks spent 2012-17 as a Panthers assistant under Ron Rivera, who Wilks cites as the most influential person in his career.
Wilks’ goal as he sought a new job this offseason was “to surround myself with good people. That’s the key to everything you do. … When the opportunity came and I got the phone call, this was a perfect fit for me.”
How long will he fit? Saleh lasted in the role four seasons, Ryans just two.
If the 49ers win the Super Bowl or at least contend again in the playoffs, Wilks is sure to generate interest on the NFL’s annual coaching carousel.
“This is not just an answer to throw you off or anything like that, but I believe in being where your feet are,” Wilks said. “Be where your feet are and take care of what’s in front of you.
“I started out at Johnson C. Smith University, a Division II school, a small school right there in Charlotte, North Carolina,” added Wilks, a Charlotte native who, back then in 1995-96, first got to know Dell Curry and his son Steph.
“I didn’t think about where I would be,” Wilks said of an impending, well-traveled career. “I had dreams of it, but I’ve always just tried to win the day. And that’s where I am right now.
“I just want to make sure this defense is the best it can be and we’re going to continue to build this thing in layers.”
NOTE: The 49ers signed all nine of their draft picks plus 12 undrafted players ahead of Friday’s minicamp practice. Seventh-round receiver Ronnie Bell highlighted the session with several outstanding catches on throws by Steven Montez, who was trying out after recent stints with the Detroit Lions and the XFL’s Seattle franchise.