On Tuesday, when the 49ers announced the hiring of defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, head coach Kyle Shanahan’s statement hailed Kocurek’s “proven track record,” termed him one of the NFL’s “most respected” at his position, said the 49ers were “excited” to have him and blah, blah, blah.
Of course, this is standard stuff for such a hire. No team-issued press release ever undersells the credentials of the new guy.
That said, there’s little question the 49ers are genuinely enthused about adding Kocurek based on what Shanahan said on Dec. 31. At that time, Shanahan he didn’t anticipate making changes to his coaching staff, but offered a caveat: He might make a move if a superstar was on the open market.