The 49ers have a new defensive coordinator, but that doesn’t mean we’ll see an overhauled version of their defense.
Defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans on Wednesday spoke to reporters for the first time since his promotion from linebackers coach, and offered some insight into his mindset and what the 49ers’ defense will look like under his guidance.
There were some questions over the offseason about whether the club would undergo any schematic changes following Robert Saleh’s departure for the New York Jets’ head coaching job. Ryans said that while there’ll be a Saleh imprint on San Francisco’s defense, it won’t be an exact replica
“For me, I am my own person and Saleh has taught me a lot. He’s taught me, probably one of the coaches who has taught me the most football that I’ve been around. He’s been very integral to my development as a coach and I can’t thank him enough for all of the things that he’s instilled in me,” Ryans said on a videoconference. “And so there will be some of the similar, you know, scheme things that we’ve done in the past where you will see some similarities there, but you will see some wrinkles. You will see some wrinkles, you will see my brand of football on it. Like I talked about earlier, I want to be known as an attacking defensive line. Our D-Line is going to attack. Our linebackers and secondary, they’re going to play with base fundamentals. We’re going to play off our defensive line. We’re going to let our D-Line just get off the ball and attack, and we’re going to clean up things behind them, but we will be a more, I feel like aggressive, attacking defense.”
It’s not a huge surprise that the 49ers’ scheme and adherence to their defensive-line-centric philosophy will stay. The scheme was picked specifically by head coach Kyle Shanahan, and a strong defensive front was a key to their trip to the Super Bowl in 2019.
What remains unclear is what the wrinkles from Ryans will look like. Perhaps the club leans less on zone coverage, or leans more on blitzing.
There may be some personnel changes as well depending on what the new DC best believes is going to maximize the players in his defense. The use of Tarvarius Moore as a strong safety or Marcell Harris as a linebacker both come to mind as potential changes.
The main question has been answered though. Schematically the 49ers aren’t going to look much different under Ryans. His ability to execute his vision for a faster, more aggressive, attacking defense could be the difference between a Super Bowl run and another disappointing year for San Francisco.