AP source: 49ers hire Steve Wilks as defensive coordinator
By JOSH DUBOW
AP Pro Football Writer
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — A person familiar with the choice says the San Francisco 49ers are hiring former Carolina interim head coach Steve Wilks as their new defensive coordinator. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the hiring hadn’t been announced. Wilks will fill the void created when DeMeco Ryans was hired as head coach in Houston. Wilks is a longtime defensive backs coach in the NFL and has served as defensive coordinator in Cleveland and Carolina before becoming interim coach for the Panthers this season. He also was head coach for one season in Arizona but was fired after going 3-13 in 2018.