The 49ers can cross another candidate off the list in their defensive coordinator search.
Former New York Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich has been hired as the Atlanta Falcons' defensive coordinator, the team announced Saturday.
Building an Ulbrich wall 😤
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) January 19, 2025
We have named Jeff Ulbrich as Defensive Coordinator!
Ulbrich, a South Bay native, spent his entire 10-year NFL career with the 49ers before joining the Seattle Seahawks as an assistant special teams coach in 2011.
The 49ers reportedly shared a mutual interest with Ulbrich for their vacant defensive coordinator position last season before deciding to go with internal candidate Nick Sorenson.
Ulbrich also has ties to San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan, with the pair spending two years together on the Atlanta Falcons' staff from 2015 to 2016. The former 49ers linebacker recently spent four seasons as Robert Saleh's defensive coordinator, with the latter recently completing an interview for San Francisco's opening after a successful stint in the same role for the franchise from 2017 to 2020.
The 49ers are set to hire their third defensive coordinator in as many seasons since the departure of DeMeco Ryans following the 2022 NFL season, but San Francisco now will have to look elsewhere with Ulbrich off the board.
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