coach Kris Kocurek to defensive coordinator
Josina Anderson tweeted that the 49ers continue to evaluate candidates for their vacant defensive coordinator position. Former Panthers interim coach Steve Wilks and Commanders defensive backs coach Chris Harris top the list, but Anderson dropped 49ers defensive line coach Kris Kocurek.
Kocurek has repeatedly stated that he has no interest in becoming a defensive coordinator:
“D-Line is my passion. When I was younger, conceptually, I always wanted to know what was going on in defense to see where the breakdowns were happening, who was in their gaps and what covers. But my eyes are still drawn forward. When I was younger, my first three or four years in the league, I took notes on the covers but watched the D-Line. It’s something I’ve always had a passion for and it’s something I don’t see changing.
Football is fluid. Life is fluid. Kocurek might be looking for new challenges. This is why I thought he might be a candidate for the Texans’ defensive coordinator job, given that he was born in Texas and went to Texas Tech.
Kocurek is widely regarded as one of, if not the, best defensive line coaches in the NFL. The production he got from free agents the 49ers signed to minimum one-year contracts rivals anyone.
Assuming Nick Bosa wins Defensive Player of the Year, what will Kocurek have to prove as a positional coach? Promoting Kocurek is also a way to ensure he stays in the building for the foreseeable future.
