49ers news: 3 best special teams coordinators to replace Richard Hightower

49ers Special Teams Candidate No. 1: Joe Judge

49ers fans may be a little leery about the idea of bringing aboard former New York Giants head coach Joe Judge, who flamed out in that role after just two seasons and perhaps is known more from his heavy-handed handling of the G-Men’s roster in the wake of a training camp fight, then subsequent regression and mismanagement of the Giants as they went 4-13 over the course of 2021.

But that all overshadows the commendable efforts Judge put together as both a special teams assistant and coordinator for the New England Patriots between 2012 and 2019.

During that stint, the Pats’ special teams units finished within the top 10 in Football Outsiders’ DVOA metric each year, suggesting Judge was more than competent enough to ensure this vital third phase of the game didn’t suffer the year-to-year drawbacks of having to constantly infuse rotating heads, being how the back end of the roster is typically asked to perform special teams duties.

Judge might not have the overall leadership skills to command a head-coaching job.

As a coordinator, though, he’s more than proven and capable.