49ers fill out coaching staff after Saleh's departure

Thu, Feb 11, 2021
By JOSH DUBOW (AP Pro Football Writer)

The San Francisco 49ers announced several coaching staff changes and hires Thursday after the departures earlier this offseason of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and other key assistants to the New York Jets.

Johnny Holland has been promoted from outside linebackers coach and run game specialist to take over the entire linebacker group after inside linebackers coach DeMeco Ryans replaced Saleh as defensive coordinator on coach Kyle Shanahan's staff.

Chris Foerster was promoted from assistant offensive line coach to offensive line coach in place of John Benton, who left for a job on Saleh's staff. Foerster had previously served stints as offensive line coach for San Francisco in 2008-09 and 2015.

Foerster last served as offensive line coach for Miami in 2016-17 before he resigned in the middle of the 2017 season after a video on social media appeared to show him snorting three lines of white powder at a desk.

Bobby Slowik was promoted from offensive assistant to offensive passing game specialist where he will work under new coordinator Mike McDaniel.

The Niners also brought back quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello, who had previously held that title for Shanahan's first two seasons in 2017-18.

The other assistants hired are Cory Undlin (defensive pass game specialist/secondary coach), James Bettcher (senior defensive assistant/run game specialist), Darryl Tapp (assistant defensive line coach), Butch Barry (assistant offensive line coach), Matthew Harper (assistant special teams coach), Klay Kubiak (defensive quality control coach), Andrew Hayes-Stoker (defensive quality control coach), Leonard Hankerson (offensive quality control coach), and August Mangin (special teams quality control coach).

The 49ers also signed safety Kai Nacua to a one-year extension. Nacua appeared in five games with the Niners last season with one tackle on special teams.

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