![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,<svg height="440" width="780" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1"/>)
The winds of change are coming to the San Francisco 49ers as the team enters a crucial 2025 offseason. They have already parted ways with special teams coordinator Brian Schneider after three years with the team. It was also reported by The Athletic’s Matt Barrows that the 49ers would be removing Nick Sorensen from the defensive coordinator role but intend to keep him on the coaching staff if possible.
The latest coaching staff alterations have led to speculation about who could replace Sorensen. In the need to make the right move at the right time, San Francisco is attempting to lure back a familiar face.
According to NFL insider Josina Anderson, The 49ers are planning to make Robert Saleh an offer to be their next Defensive Coordinator.
The report makes Saleh the first known candidate the 49ers are interviewing for their open coordinator position.
Robert Saleh’s Recent History
Saleh spent most of the 2024 season with the Green Bay Packers as an offensive assistant to Matt LaFleur after being fired by the New York Jets in October.
Saleh initially left the 49ers in 2021 to become the Jets head coach. He lasted part of four seasons in the Big Apple, never accruing a winning season through a tumultuous power struggle with owner Woody Johnson.
The 49ers have competition in their attempts to acquire Saleh’s services.
He is currently scheduled to interview for the Jacksonville Jaguars head coaching vacancy on Tuesday. If he accepts the Jaguars job, he will have coached the first two picks of the 2021 NFL draft — quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson.
If Saleh were to accept the 49ers offer, it would be a return to his most successful coaching destination thus far.
Saleh spent four seasons with San Francisco from 2017 to 2020. In 2019, his defense was sixth in the league in forced turnovers (27), second in total defense (281.8 yards per game), first in passing defense (169.2 yards per game), and fourth in sacks (48). That effort helped power the 49ers to Super Bowl 54 against the Kansas City Chiefs, where they lost 31–20.
In his final two years with San Francisco, Saleh’s defense ranked top five. His proven track record is what leads the 49ers to believe he can fix their defensive woes.
Fixing the 49ers Defense
The 49ers’ defense needs restoration. Despite battling injuries throughout 2024, the personnel remains a strong point. Former defensive player of the year Nick Bosa is still terrorizing quarterbacks. Linebacker Fred Warner continues to erase the middle of the field and in the secondary, Deommodore Lenoir has emerged as a lockdown cornerback.
However, the 49ers inability to close games and lackluster second-half performances are what San Francisco is hoping Saleh can fix.
In 2024, the 49ers allowed opposing teams to score in the fourth quarter of every game. In 2023, they shutout teams 11 times in the fourth quarter. San Francisco also gave up the most second-half points in the NFL this season. They also surrendered the second-most fourth-quarter points in the league.
Under Nick Sorensen, the 49ers saw their sack total and takeaways drop by double-digit points. Most astonishingly, San Francisco gave up nearly 125 rushing yards per game this season. During Saleh’s tenure, San Francisco’s run defenses never allowed more than 116 yards per game.
Re-hiring Saleh would also keep with a continuity head coach Kyle Shanahan desires. When San Francisco brought in Steve Wilks in 2023, it was like fitting a square peg into a round hole. At times, it worked, but often frustrations arose, leading to Sorensen being thrust into the defensive coordinator role in 2024.
“Get back to basics” and a “return to form” was preached by San Francisco’s brass. In 2024, it failed, but with Sorensen’s firing and report of Saleh’s potential return, the 49ers seem adamant to give it another go. This time, with a more accomplished commodity leading the charge.
0 Comments