The 49ers are counting on new defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen to get the unit back to dominance

Now they're counting on the internal promotion of Nick Sorensen into that role — with a dose of outside perspective from former Chargers head coach Brandon Staley — to get the Niners back to performing at a dominant level defensively after taking a little step back last season. “We all know the standard here and we all want to win, we all want to play great defense and that’s the expectation,” Sorensen said Friday in his first public remarks since being hired earlier this offseason. The 49ers didn't reach that standard last season under Wilks that had been set under previous coordinators Robert Saleh and DeMeco Ryans, especially in the playoffs when they got gashed on the ground against Green Bay and Detroit and then wilted late in a Super Bowl loss to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.