For the first time since 2019, the 49ers defense will undergo significant schematic changes this offseason.
In 2019, the 49ers hired defensive line coach Kris Kocurek who helped install their four-man Wide 9 front. Now, their defensive coordinator is Raheem Morris, who primarily has used five-man fronts for his base defenses the past few years.
In addition, Morris will hire his own defensive backs coach, considering 49ers DB coach Daniel Bullocks signed with the Packers today. So the back end and the front end of the defense could change significantly.
With that in mind, here are three 49ers who will benefit most from playing under Morris.
Mykel Williams
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In college, Williams mostly played defensive tackle in a five-man front. Then the 49ers drafted him and decided he would flourish as a pass rusher as a defensive end in a Wide 9 front, but he didn’t. He was a good run defender, but a complete non-factor against the pass from the edge. So, on passing downs, the 49ers moved Williams back to defensive tackle.
Now, Williams can go back to playing his natural position full time, assuming Morris uses a five-man front for his base defense as he did in Atlanta and Los Angeles. And instead of getting constantly double-teamed as he did during his rookie season, Williams will have many more one-on-one matchups, which should unlock his pass-rush potential.
Deommodore Lenoir
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The 49ers gave Lenoir a five-year, $88.8 million contract because he’s one of the only cornerbacks in the NFL who can play outside and in the slot equally well. He’s unusually versatile.
And yet, last season, Robert Saleh decided to keep Lenoir outside on the left sideline for the defense, which allowed opposing offenses to stay away from him as much as they wanted, so his impact was minimal.
Morris has a history of letting his No. 1 cornerback shadow the opponent’s No. 1 receiver no matter where he lines up, which is what Lenoir has been begging the 49ers to let him do for years. Now, he finally might get his wish.
Upton Stout
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Stout is a 5-foot-8 nickelback. He’s too short to play on the outside as a true corner. And yet, the 49ers drafted him in Round 3 last year because they believe he has a special skill set from the slot.
Not only can he cover well for his height, but he hits like a linebacker and he’s a good blitzer. He can sack the quarterback.
But Saleh rarely blitzed, and so the 49ers never unlocked Stout’s full impact.
Morris loves to blitz. He’s much more aggressive than Saleh, which is a big reason why the Falcons had 57 sacks last season while the 49ers had 20. Expect Stout to be one of the 49ers’ most dangerous pass-rushing threats in 2026.
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