I agree he should've prioritized it higher once Roman came aboard. He also made some mistakes with the QB position early on, like entering a season with nothing but ej and unproven backups, and signing Kevin kolb. At the same time he put together a team that carried marrone to a winning record. When marrone resigned Whaley was stuck with a coach who was a mismatch for that winning team on multiple levels and who owns a losing career record.
I won't be completely sold on Whaley either until he makes the playoffs. I also think a team that goes 9 and 7 under marrone, and a team that goes 8 and 8 under Rex despite being an awful fit, probably makes the playoffs with someone like Mike McCarthy or John fox...a coach who wins.
I wouldn't be immediately devastated if they moved on from Whaley but it would seem like a big missed opportunity.