The San Francisco 49ers will look different next season. And maybe not just a little bit. After the firing of defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen, coach Kyle Shanahan and Co. are looking for new leadership on the defensive side of the ball.

Potential 49ers defensive coordinator candidate Jeff Ulbrich was hired by the Atlanta Falcons for the same role.

The San Francisco 49ers’ list of potential defensive coordinator candidates appears to be short, and it got shorter Saturday when NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero reported the Atlanta Falcons were set to hire Jeff Ulbrich as their new defensive coordinator.

The 49ers snagged a third-round comp pick in the 2025 draft when DeMeco Ryans and Ran Carthon were both hired in the same offseason. Ryans went to the Houston Texans as their head coach. Carthon went to the Tennessee Titans as their general manager.

The Atlanta Falcons have met with six candidates for their defensive coordinator vacancy, interviewing former NFL head coach Steve Wilks and Pittsburgh Steelers secondary coach Grady Brown on Friday.

The Atlanta Falcons' search for a defensive coordinator now includes a former interim head coach for an NFC South Division rival.

The Falcons have interviewed Michigan defensive coordinator Wink Martindale and have another scheduled with former Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo this week. Stay up to date with each reported interview using our Falcons defensive coordinator tracker.

The New York Giants might not want to be picked third overall in the draft, as that means they’re coming off a miserable season, but for the most part, over the last five seasons, teams selecting third overall have had mixed results in their quest to find difference marks for their teams.

Washington advanced to the conference championship game after its shocking win over Detroit, while Los Angeles came up short against Philadelphia in divisional round.

Ulbrich, who spent much of last season as the New York Jets' interim coach, takes over a defense that earned criticism from first-year coach Raheem Morris.

The countdown to Super Bowl LIX is on and talkSPORT.com will keep you up to date with all the news from around the league. The race to New Orleans on February 9 has reached the win-or-go-home