The San Francisco 49ers shocked the NFL world when they announced the in-house hire of former defensive line coach Jim Tomsula as the franchise's next head coach.
They then followed up that in-house hire with another - the promotion of tight ends coach Eric Mangini to defensive coordinator.
If a recent report from Albert Breer of NFL.com is accurate, the 49ers important in-house hires won't end with Tomsula and Mangini.
It seems that quarterbacks coach Geep Chryst is, per Breer, expected to be elevated to the offensive coordinator position, bringing the 49ers in-house hires to a nice, full, three.
By most accounts, Tomsula is very well regarded both by the players and within the organization's front office, but it sounds like his choice for offensive coordinator may not enjoy the same type of reputation.
"In talking to three players, including two guys on offense, basically they were dismayed by this hiring and were disgusted in certain ways because they believe that this is a sign that management has chosen to go incredibly cheap in terms of replacing the coaches that left," reported Jason Cole of Bleacher Report.
Under Chryst this season, San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick regressed - he threw less touchdowns, more interceptions and his QB rating dropped five full points from last year.
In talking to players, Cole said he got the sense that many viewed the Chryst hire, in conjunction with the Tomsula and Mangini hires, as evidence of the organization's cheap nature.
"The players I spoke to said, 'Why are we doing this? The only reason it seems that we're doing this is because these are the cheaper options, these are the guys that are already there,'" Cole said.
While there's no denying the talent permeating the 49ers roster, it sounds as if the organization's continued thriftiness may be affecting the culture in the locker room.
