New 49ers DC Steve Wilks focused on keeping top-ranked defense humming

Yes, Steve Wilks appeared to do enough last season in his interim head coaching stint with the Carolina Panthers to get the job permanently.

He guided a team circling the drain near the midpoint of 2022 to the brink of reaching the postseason before falling to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a game left, losing out on a playoff berth. 

Taking over Carolina at 1-4 after Matt Rhule was shown the door, Wilks led the Panthers to a 6-6 record to finish the year at 7-10. But instead of coaching this year's No. 1 overall selection in quarterback Bryce Young in Carolina, Wilks' consolation prize is taking over last year's No. 1-ranked defense as the defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers.

Replacing DeMeco Ryans, now the head coach of the Houston Texans, Wilks says he's not concerned about the possibility of using a successful stint with the 49ers as another audition for an opportunity to lead an NFL franchise. 

"I started out at Johnson C. Smith University, a Division II school, small school right there in Charlotte, North Carolina," the Charlotte native told reporters at the Niners' facility as the team began OTAs this week. "I didn't think about where I would be. I had dreams of it, but I've always just tried to win the day.

"And that's where I am right now."

Making his task more manageable is that Wilks inherits San Francisco's defensive coaching staff and some of the top players in the NFL. He's tasked with keeping the 49ers' elite defense humming while putting his own spin on that side of the football.

Much like fellow defensive guru Raheem Morris executed for the Los Angeles Rams' Super Bowl run during the 2021 season, Wilks takes over a top-ranked defense on the precipice of reaching the big game. 

The 49ers held opposing offenses to a league-low 16.3 points per game during the regular season in 2022. San Francisco also finished tops in the NFL in total yards allowed per game (300.6) and second in the league in takeaways (30). 

While San Francisco lost two of the team's top edge rushers in Samson Ebukam and Charles Omenihu in free agency, the 49ers signed one of the top defensive tackles away from the Philadelphia Eagles in Javon Hargrave. The 49ers are counting on the addition of Hargrave, along with the development of young defensive linemen Drake Jackson and Javon Kinlaw, to help improve San Francisco's defensive front anchored by Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead. 

"Everything we do starts up front," Wilks said. "When you look at how dominant we've been over the years, it is because of our defensive line, and we've done a great job building that through the draft. 

"We did some great things in free agency this past year. [Defensive line coach Kris] Kocurek does a tremendous job. He's one of the best in the business at what he does, and he's had a major impact on his defense. So that was really the biggest thing that stood out to me, just how great we were up front consistently over the years."

The 49ers also have one of the most talented linebacker duos in the league in All-Pro Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw. But what Wilks brings to the group is his specialty in coaching defensive backs. 

According to Next Gen Stats, the 49ers were in zone coverage 78.5% of the time last season, No. 6 in the NFL. Under the guidance of Wilks last season, the Panthers were No. 7 at 77.4%, so perhaps there won't be a significant change in how San Francisco approaches things scheme-wise in the secondary.

However, Wilks did get a new piece to work with in Penn State safety Ji'Ayir Brown, a third-round selection in this year's draft. The playmaking safety joins fellow safeties in Pro Bowler Talanoa Hufanga and Tashaun Gipson Sr., along with cornerbacks Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir. 

With an athletic back seven, perhaps San Francisco can be more aggressive and play more man defense this season?

"My background is diverse in zone as well as man, and I think it can change each week based off your opponent," Wilks said. "Do I feel like we have the skill set to play more man? Yes. At times, do I want to be a little bit more aggressive with the talent and athleticism that we have at linebacker? Yes."

The 49ers allowed 2,037 yards after the catch last season, No. 12 in the NFL according to Next Gen Stats. So they could do a better job of limiting big plays in the passing game for the upcoming season. 

In a humbling loss to the Super Bowl champs last season at Levi's Stadium against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, the 49ers gave up eight passing plays of 20 or more yards. In 2023, San Francisco faces nine teams that reached the postseason last year, featuring quarterbacks Joe Burrow, Dak Prescott, Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson and Trevor Lawrence.

If San Francisco wants to compete against the elite passers in the NFL, Wilks must shore up some things in the back end defensively. 

"I always say defense wins championships," Warner said at the Dwight Clark Legacy Series event. "It starts and ends with us. We take that on our shoulders, that responsibility. And we need to be better. To say that last year's ending was hurtful, it was. It sucks the way that it ended." 

The way it ended, of course, was a 31-7 loss to the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game. Yes, the 49ers lost all their quarterbacks in the game. But they also gave up 148 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns in Philadelphia's runaway victory.

But as the new guy, Wilks isn't looking back or ahead. 

"I'm not even looking beyond OTAs," he said. "I just want to make sure this defense is the best it can be."

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.