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 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.

Brant Boyer was announced Monday as the 49ers’ new special teams coordinator, a role he held the past nine season with the Jets, where he overlapped and worked under coach Robert Saleh, who was re-hired Friday as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator.

One of those names is interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich. Originally the defensive coordinator but promoted to the role after New York fired Robert Saleh, Ulbrich went 3-9 at the helm and failed to turn around the Jets season. After interviewing for the head coaching job last week, Ulbrich didn't want to wait to be told no by New York.

The San Francisco 49ers search for a new defensive coordinator has not necessarily gotten off the ground. Robert Saleh is seen as the top candidate.

The Athletic's Matt Barrows revealed the San Francisco 49ers made a robust offer to Robert Saleh hoping to avoid a lingering coaching search.

The Bucs’ misfortune would be the 49ers’ gain since Saleh appears lined up to take the 49ers DC job if he doesn’t land a head coaching gig. He also had interviews lined up with the Raiders and Dallas Cowboys, but his name hasn’t been tied as heavily to those clubs as it has to the Jaguars.

Wilks, who replaces Jeff Ulbrich as the Jets’ defensive coordinator, also has head coaching experience. He was Arizona’s coach in 2018 and was fired after the Cardinals finished 3-13. Wilks also was Carolina’s interim coach when he replaced the fired Matt Rhule in 2022 and went 6-6 with the Panthers.

The Atlanta Falcons officially introduced their new defensive coordinator, Jeff Ulbrich, on Monday morning. The 47-year-old coach was welcomed with a press conference where the media had the chance to ask questions and get to know the newest addition to the Falcons’ coaching staff.