Grading 49ers' 2023 offseason: Free agency, staffing and NFL Draft

The 49ers went for a pretty wild ride during the 2023 offseason, and Niner Noise grades out the whole unfolding drama.
San Francisco 49ers assistant general manager Adam Peters (L) and general manager John Lynch (R)
San Francisco 49ers assistant general manager Adam Peters (L) and general manager John Lynch (R) / Michael Zagaris/GettyImages
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San Francisco 49ers, Fred Warner, Demeco Ryans
San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner (L) and defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans (R) / Michael Zagaris/GettyImages

49ers staffing grade

. . 49ers coaching staff grade. 49ers coaching staff grade. C

There's no getting around the fact that losing DeMeco Ryans stinks. His decision to turn down the Minnesota Vikings' head-coaching job in 2022 was the right one, and that choice ultimately led to him running the NFL's No. 1 ranked scoring defense over the course of last year.

Ryans even plucked some former Niners, too, including Jimmie Ward and Bobby Slowik.

The departure could have been disastrous despite San Francisco boasting an elite defense still, but that was mitigated by the 49ers signing former Carolina Panthers interim head coach Steve Wilks.

Wilks' specialty on defense is the secondary, which is easily the Niners' bigger weakness on that side of the ball. And it sounds as if he's only going to make some modest tweaks and changes rather than try to put his stamp on everything despite what's already worked.

Tack on San Francisco grabbing Klint Kubiak as the new pass-game coordinator, replacing Slowik, and the team certainly avoided major problems in coaching turnover.