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49ers hire former Raiders DC Ken Norton Jr. as assistant

Oakland Raiders defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. watches players stretch during an NFL football training camp Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2017, in Napa, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg) Photo: Associated Press/Eric Risberg

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers have hired former Raiders defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. as an assistant head coach.

Coach Kyle Shanahan announced the move Monday. He says Norton will become an assistant coach for defense and will be in charge of inside linebackers.

Norton was fired as defensive coordinator in Oakland after 10 games this season. He had held the job since 2015. Norton worked on the staff in Seattle with current Niners defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and also played for San Francisco from 1994-2000.

The Niners also said Johnny Holland will transition from linebackers coach to the team’s run game specialist and outside linebackers coach, and Michael Clay will move from the strength staff to become an assistant special teams coach.

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