San Francisco 49ers passing game coordinator Joe Woods said that he won’t make a decision to join the Cleveland Browns as their defensive coordinator until after the Super Bowl. Let’s be clear, he’s gone, and that’s a loss that will hurt the Niners coaching staff. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the 49ers are looking at potential replacements, one being Kris Richard, who called the plays in Dallas on defense and served as their passing game coordinator. Here is what Rapoport said on air:

“Joe Woods, the secondary coach, he’s done a fantastic job. He’s expected to become the Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator. From what I understand, among the candidates being considered to replace Woods are former Cowboys passing-game coordinator for defense, Kris Richard. Remember, he coached a similar system with the Dallas Cowboys, and certainly, that would add some heft, a little more heft, to this defense.”

Richard was the defensive coordinator for the Seahawks from 2015-2017 before being fired. Seattle fans were not happy with Richard. Many 49ers fans are saying this would be a home run hire but are providing any reason. Richard was the only defensive coordinator Pete Carroll has ever fired during his tenure in Seattle, which says something. That article says Richard was too aggressive.

In Dallas, they can’t stand Richard. He’s been accused of not playing his best players and not making them better. The fans will tell you he’s not aggressive enough. Talk to a Cowboys’ fan about Richard. You won’t like the answer. Here’s one article:

Kris Richard came to Dallas to install a single-high scheme much like the one he ran in Seattle. But the single-high has been a problem and the Cowboys often alternate between this and a version of Tampa 2 (which is also a Cover 3) as the primary schemes. The result of this simple defensive approach is a transparent defense that’s fairly easy to attack.

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. That said, San Francisco is stacked on defense. It would be really, really tough to blow this opportunity considering the talent the 49ers can field. Richard could learn from Saleh and what he wants to do, as I imagine he’d be groomed as Saleh’s potential replacement as defensive coordinator.