Poaching season has begun.
Wes Welker is leaving the 49ers to follow Mike McDaniel to Miami as an offensive assistant.
McDaniel taking at least one coach away from the 49ers to go with him to the Dolphins was to be expected. It was just unclear as to who exactly it was going to be. Now we have our answer.
Welker heading over to South Beach is a sting to the 49ers. He oversaw the development of Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, and Kendrick Bourne. Each of these receivers have ascended and developed nicely under Welker's watch, so losing him is tough.
Welker has been the wide receivers coach for the 49ers since 2019. Having such an embedded coach will not be too easy to replace.
With Welker now departed, it puts the number of coaches that are gone from the 49ers to six total. Anthony Lynn has been the only hire the 49ers have made so far as the first step towards filling vacant positions.
The 49ers still have a long way to go toward filling out other areas like special teams, but they surely won't face too much trouble with it. This time last year the 49ers faced an exodus in coaches. Ten coaches, to be exact, left the 49ers and they were able to fill out nicely in the end.
But much like last year, losing a right hand man like McDaniel and another solid coach in Welker does sting. The 49ers will overcome this, but do not be surprised if these departures are felt a bit when the 2022 regular season comes around.
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