After a disappointing NFL season, the San Francisco 49ers are making one or two adjustments in order to return to the playoffs next season. Now they have brought in a new defensive coordinator in the Bay Area. This is an old acquaintance.
Robert Saleh will be the lord of the Niners defense again next season. The trainer was already the defensive coordinator in San Francisco between 2017 and 2020 and, among other things, helped reach the Super Bowl in 2020.
The strong performances of his defense aroused desire at the time and so Saleh ended up in the Big Apple, where he became the head coach of the New York Jets. As is well known, this liaison was not a success story in the end, even if one got the impression that Saleh was a kind of peasant opera when he was released.
Nevertheless, he is now back in the Bay Area, ending the coaching search for the Niners, who parted ways with previous defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen on January 8th.
NFL: Saleh also asked as head coach
The day after Sorensen’s dismissal there was an initial conversation between Saleh and the 49ers. However, San Francisco was not the only interested party for Saleh.
He also had a few interviews for a possible head coaching position and was interviewed by the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Las Vegas Raiders and the Dallas Cowboys, among others.
Especially with the Jaguars, he is said to have been a serious candidate after Liam Coen’s original rejection, reports “ESPN”, among others. But when Coen decided to join the Jags, the way was clear for Saleh and the 49ers to reunite.
Although Saleh hasn’t been with the 49ers for the last four years, there are plenty of signs that he and head coach Kyle Shanahan can be successful. During his final tenure as Niners coordinator, Saleh’s defense emerged from some initial struggles into one of the best and most productive units in the NFL.