The San Francisco 49ers are having a strong season despite all the injuries they’ve sustained on both sides of the ball this year, as they’ve already surpassed their win total from last year in just 11 games.
However, there’s a downfall that comes with winning, as players and coaches who were at least partly responsible for the winning get poached by other teams. For the 49ers, that could be defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, whose defense hasn’t been great, but he isn’t working with much.
Two teams (the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans) have already fired their head coaches this year with more surely following in the coming weeks and months. With that, the 49ers could see multiple coaches end up elsewhere in new positions.
Earlier this week, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero put out a list of young head coaching candidates that fans should get to know, and while there were no 49ers on the list for this year, he did put three on the list of coaches to watch for the future.
OC Klay Kubiak
Kubiak, 37, has been with the 49ers since 2021 when he served as a defensive quality control coach. It was his first job in the NFL after serving as head coach at Strake Jesuit College Prep from 2018-20. The son of former Houston Texans and Denver Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak, he took over as San Francisco’s offensive coordinator this year. It’s touch for offensive coordinator’s under Kyle Shanahan to separate themselves, with Shanahan calling plays, so it could take a few years before Kubiak starts getting credit around the league.
WRs coach Leonard Hankerson
Hankerson, 36, was an NFL receiver for five seasons from 2011-15, spending time with Washington, Atlanta, New England and Buffalo. He transitioned to coaching at the high school level in 2016 before moving to the college ranks in 2017. He joined the 49ers staff in 2021 as an offensive quality control coach and has served as wide receivers coach since 2022. He’ll probably get an offensive coordinator opportunity in the coming years before he’s considered for a head coaching vacancy.
DBs/CBs coach Ray Brown
Brown played collegiately at East Central University from 2006-09 and began coaching at the school the following year. He bounced around the college game for 15 years with stops at Boston College, Washington State, Utah State and others. This season is his first in the NFL and his first with the 49ers. He’ll probably need a few more years as an assistant coach before making the jump to defensive coordinator.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Trio of 49ers coaches could be lost to head-coaching jobs
Reporting by Mike Masala, Niners Wire / Niners Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
