The 49ers announced they have completed an interview with Lions DB coach Deshea Townsend for their open DC job.
The Detroit Lions coaching staff is in high demand. Not only do offensive coordinator Ben Johnson (four) and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn (five) have multiple head coaching interviews this week, but offensive line coach Hank Fraley is interviewing with the Seahawks for their vacant offensive coordinator position, and now, the San Francisco 49ers announced they have completed an interview with Lions defensive backs coach DeShea Townsend for their vacant defensive coordinator position.
Townsend joined the Lions this past offseason and Detroit immediately saw dividends in their secondary play. A former NFL cornerback for the Steelers and Colts, Townsend got into coaching in 2011 and has coached under a variety of defensive coordinators, including Glenn, Mike Caldwell (Jaguars, 2022-23), Sean Desai (Bears, 2021), Chuck Pagano (Bears, 2019-20), James Bettcher (Giants, 2018), Dick Lebeau (Titans, 2016-17), and Ray Horton (Cardinals 2011-12).
While Townsend has loads of experience and has proven himself as someone who should be considered for a defensive coordinator role, the fit with the 49ers is a bit curious.
In our breakdown of the 49ers coaching scheme , we explained how since head coach Kyle Shanahan had taken over in San Francisco in 2017, he has run the same defensive scheme, despite having multiple defensive coordinators. Robert Saleh, DeMeco Ryans, Steve Wilks, and most recently Nick Sorensen, all ran versions of Shanahan’s preferred scheme—which derived from the Gus Bradley/Dan Quinn “Legion of Boom” defenses (attacking 4-3 front with heavy nickel and Cover-3 coverage schemes).
Shanahan has a history of hiring coaches who will operate within his preferred schemes, and you don’t need to look far to see examples of that. Less than a day ago, it was reported that the 49ers were promoting from within for their offensive coordinator position, opting to promote Klint Kubiak.
Additionally, the 49ers also announced that they interviewed Saleh for his old defensive coordinator position . Saleh and the 49ers parted ways amicably in 2021, when Saleh accepted the head coaching job with the Jets, but was let go this season.
With that in mind, what makes Townsend a curious fit is the fact that he played in 3-4 schemes that varied man and zone coverage, and has coached in similar schemes over the past decade and a half—save Detroit, which is more of a 4-3 base and man-heavy (the Lions run the most man coverage in the NFL) than he has coached in previous stops.
That being said, Shanahan is coming off a losing season and could believe his defense is in need of a change. They’ve become more predictable over the past few seasons, and have lost talent—especially on the defensive line—to salary cap restraints. Townsend is also an adaptable coach, if Shanahan wants to keep or blend defensive schemes.
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