After just one season as the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator, Nick Sorensen is being let go by the team from that position, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic. However, it doesn’t immediately mean that he will be completely parting ways with the Niners, who are said to still be interested in keeping him around.
“Per a league source, the 49ers are moving on from Nick Sorensen at defensive coordinator,” Barrows posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday night.
“The team hopes it can retain Sorensen in some capacity. … The 49ers have an opening at special teams coordinator and Sorensen was a special team coordinator in Jacksonville in 2021,” Barrows added.
Nick Sorensen out as 49ers defensive coordinator
Sorensen started his tenure with the 49ers as a defensive assistant in the 2022 season before becoming a defensive pass game specialist and nickels coach in 2023. He was promoted to the defensive coordinator role for the 2024 NFL season after hiring former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley as an assistant coach but San Francisco’s defense failed to shine under his watch. In the 2024 campaign, San Francisco ranked just 29th in the league with 26.6 points allowed per game. The 49ers were just 18th against the run with 124.6 rushing yards surrendered per contest and while they were fifth with 192.8 passing yards given up per game, the Niners were just 19th in defensive interception rate (2.13%) and 17th in defensive sack rate (6.69%).
Injuries slowed down the 49ers on the defensive side of the ball, with the likes of Charvarius Ward and Talanoa Hufanga missing multiple games. Fred Warner dealt with a hurting ankle while Dre Greenlaw was only able to see action for a couple of games.
The 49ers are making some big moves shortly after the conclusion of their largely forgettable 2024 campaign in which they finished with just a 6-11 record and lost all of their final four assignments. Prior to this news about Sorensen, the 49ers fired special teams coordinator Brian Schneider. That vacant position, as mentioned by Barrows, could potentially be filled next by Sorensen, who formerly served as an assistant special teams coach for the Seattle Seahawks and as a special teams coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars — his last job before jumping to the 49ers.
