49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks will look at Sunday’s game against the Jaguars from a different perspective.
After the team’s winning streak extended to three games and lost to the Bengals in Week 8, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said the team would discuss Wilks moving from the locker room to the sideline during his bye week. The 49ers are back from that bye and Shanahan announced the outcome of those talks on Wednesday.
Wilks will actually make the move to Jacksonville.
“We’re going to put him on that field this week, which we’ve been talking about for a while,” Shanahan said, via 49ersWebzone.com. “I think it has pros and cons, but we’ll see what we like about this week. . . . Just because of some of the things you do in the box and all the benefits it brings that are great. But I kind of want him to be down there and be around our players a little bit. They’ve had that more to do with linebacker communication in the past, and I want him down there so he can talk to the guys a little bit more.”
The Steelers made a similar change last week when offensive coordinator Matt Canada worked from the sideline during their win over the Titans. The 49ers will be aiming for a similar result after their coaching change.