Getty San Francisco 49ers Defensive Coordinator Robert Saleh
Fewer head coaches in the NFL have hotter seats right now that Matt Nagy of the Chicago Bears. After winning Coach of the Year and going 12-4 in 2018, Nagy has gone 13-14 since, and he has seen his team drop five straight after starting the season at 5-1.
Nagy also appears to be losing his locker room, regardless of what he’s saying publicly. His vaunted defense was just accused of quitting on national television by Super Bowl-winning coach Tony Dungy, and at least three of his wide receivers have openly liked posts in Twitter either disparaging the team or that suggested they play somewhere else.
While Chicago’s remaining five games will go far in determining Nagy’s future, at present, it doesn’t look good for Nagy in the Windy City. If he gets fired at the end of the season, who could the Bears bring in to replace him? One name in particular is starting to gain traction.
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San Francisco 49ers Defensive Coordinator Robert Saleh to Chicago?
The Athletic’s Vic Tafur and a growing number of NFL analysts think Robert Saleh would make a great head coach, particularly in Chicago.
The Chicago Bears should fire Matt Nagy and hire Robert Saleh as their next head coach.
Chicago has always been a team that has had a strong defensive identity, so why not recover from the Matt-Nagy-is-an-offensive-genius era by hiring one of the best defensive minds in football? In his third year as the 49ers DC, the unit finished second in total yards allowed, eighth in points allowed and first in passing yards allowed.
Saleh will be a head coaching candidate again this offseason — he interviewed for the head coaching position in Cleveland last year, and he reportedly turned down an offer to interview for the head coaching job at Michigan State. Saleh is from Michigan, and there are also calls for the Lions to hire him after firing Matt Patricia, so he should have a few suitors. If the Bears move on from Nagy, they should certainly bring him in for an interview.
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What’s Robert Saleh’s Coaching Experience?
The 41-year old Saleh started his coaching career with the Spartans back in 2002, serving as a defensive assistant for two seasons. He moved on to Central Michigan and Georgia in the same role, spending a year in each place before catching on with the Houston Texans as a defensive intern in 2005. He became defensive quality control (2006-2008) and assistant linebackers coach (2009-10) before heading to Seattle.
Saleh was quality control coach for the Seahawks for three years and the linebackers coach in Jacksonville for another three seasons before taking over as DC in San Francisco in 2017. His defenses have shown steady improvement since his arrival. The 49ers have ranked 24th in 2017, his first year with the team, 13th in 2018 and second overall in 2019.
The 49ers are currently ranked 6th in total defense, which is a huge accomplishment considering how decimated by injuries their defense has been this year.
What His Peers and Players Say About Saleh Speaks Volumes…
Those in Saleh’s inner circle in San Francisco have not only spoke in glowing terms about him — they seem to know he’s destined for great things as a head coach. “Every year we keep him, we’ll be very fortunate,” San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan said in January. “Saleh’s going to be a head coach in this league. Most likely, he’ll be one next year. He’s going to have the right opportunity come around. It’s just a matter of time.”
The defensive coordinator also possesses several traits you want in a head coach. “I give Saleh a lot of credit,” 49ers general manager John Lynch told The Athletic in January. “I always think people who are very secure in themselves aren’t afraid to take on new ideas and to hear new ideas.”
If Richard Sherman has his way, Saleh will be coaching against the Bears twice a year in Detroit. “He has to get the Detroit job,” Sherman said. “Homegrown. He’s a great leader of men. And he’s not stubborn. He doesn’t just think he has all the answers. He comes up with a great plan and evolves it with his players.”
It says a lot about Saleh that his current players and bosses speak and think so highly of him. Imagining him working with an emerging Roquan Smith and the likes of Khalil Mack is an intriguing thought — but the Bears may not get the chance to nab him if Detroit gets there first.
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