Getty Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh of the San Francisco 49ers.
San Fransisco 49ers Robert Saleh is a popular candidate among vacant head coaching positions in the NFL right now. It would be crazy for him not to get a head job somewhere and even crazier for him not to take his talents to lead a team.
So “if” Saleh gets a head job and decides to leave the Bay Area, then that leaves fans wondering who will take over his role at DC.
While there’s a lot of options floating around the most intriguing rumored candidates are former Falcons head coach Dan Quinn and current Falcons interim coach, Raheem Morris, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
“There are some interesting potential coordinator openings across the NFL, and one question is what San Francisco will do if Robert Saleh lands a head coaching job”, Breer recently wrote. “I’ve heard ex-Falcons coach Dan Quinn’s name raised for that DC job, should Saleh bolt, and current Falcons interim coach Raheem Morris is another name that can be tied to Kyle Shanahan.”
Dan Quinn Or Raheem Morris?
If Quinn or Morris somehow get the position as the 49ers defensive coordinator, it would be a reunion for them with Kyle Shanahan, who was the Falcons’ former offensive coordinator. When these three were all coaching together, Atlanta made their 2016 Super Bowl run.
While Quinn’s progress has gone done in recent years, he’s not a bad coach just maybe should be a head coach. He made it to be the Falcons head coach after a solid stint in Seattle with Pete Carroll and the Seahawks. But, the Seahawks were loaded with top talent at the time so Quinn’s job wasn’t that hard. And his six seasons in Atlanta were inconsistent on the defensive side.
When Raheem Morris took over this season after the Falcons opened 0-5, they began to win but not every time. It wasn’t even due to Morris’s fault, it was because the Falcons players themselves found even dumber ways to lose.
Still, the defense has, for the most part, held down their side of the ball and improved a lot once Morris took over. Just this past weekend, the Falcons were able to hold the Kansas City Chiefs to 17 points. They were in a position to bring the game into overtime, but Pro Bowl kicker Younghoe Koos missed a 39-yarder.
Since the Falcons Week 10 bye, Morris’s defense has limited the Saints twice, kept the Chargers and Chiefs to 24 points or less. Also notable, they held Tom Brady and the Bucs to zero points before they got destroyed. Morris hasn’t had many talented or experienced players to work with and he’s still been impressive.
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Where Will Saleh Go?
The number one team reportedly really interested in Saleh are the Detroit Lions.
This is certainly fitting since Saleh is a native of Dearborn, Michigan where he spent his entire childhood and then college football career at Northern Michigan.
From there, the 41-year-old started his coaching career at Michigan State — where his family football roots run deep — and then at Central Michigan as a defensive assistant.
Lions fans are all on board with Saleh taking over Matt Patricia’s role and Michigan legislators even sent Detroit’s owner, Sheila Ford Hamp, a letter asking the team to hire Saleh.
There are obviously other options for Saleh, but him going back home seems to fit the mold the best.
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Falcons Coaches Linked to 49ers if Saleh Leaves