The San Francisco 49ers‘ coaching staff is set for major changes heading into the 2026 NFL season. Even with injuries on defense, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh maximized the unit’s performance, helping the Niners reach the divisional round before falling to the Seattle Seahawks.
On Jan. 19, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported, citing sources, that the Tennessee Titans are close to finalizing a deal to hire Saleh as their head coach. Schefter noted that Saleh spent Jan. 19 in Tennessee meeting with the Titans, and both sides were impressed enough to move forward with a potential agreement.
Nonetheless, former NFL player Emmanuel Acho doesn’t like this hire for the Titans, considering Saleh is a defensive-minded head coach, and the team currently have a young, unproven QB in Cam Ward.
“Unless he goes out there and gets Mike McDaniel or Kliff Kingsbury, I don’t love it,” Acho said on the Jan. 19 edition of “Speakeasy.” “I do not love defensive‑minded head coaches with unproven quarterbacks, because defensive‑minded head coaches don’t know how to figure out quarterbacks.
“Robert Saleh didn’t know what the hell to do with Zach Wilson. I don’t know if anybody knows what to do with Zach Wilson, but he didn’t. Robert Saleh didn’t know what the hell to do with Aaron Rodgers.”
49ers DC Robert Saleh Not a Fit for Titans
Moreover, Acho added that Saleh would’ve been better off taking a job with a proven quarterback rather than one where he needs to hire the right staff to develop one.
“Robert Saleh didn’t know what to do offensively [in New York],” Acho added. “Now you got Cam Ward. Cam Ward is figuring it out. Robert Saleh, you’re figuring it out. I don’t like Robert Saleh with a quarterback that doesn’t know what he’s doing. I love Robert Saleh with the Ravens, Lamar Jackson; I don’t love Robert Saleh with the Tennessee Titans.”
This reported hire would mark Saleh’s second stint as a head coach after leading the New York Jets from 2021 to 2024. Once the news regarding the Titans’ job becomes official, he will have the opportunity to work with Ward.
For Saleh, a top priority will be assembling an offensive coaching staff capable of continuing Ward’s growth and keeping the team on an upward trajectory while he focuses on the defense.
In his rookie season, Ward had a passer rating of 80.2 with 3,169 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in 17 games for the Titans, per StatMuse.
49ers Face Major Challenge to Replace Robert Saleh
As for the 49ers, Acho believes they are in significant trouble if they cannot replace Saleh with a competent defensive coordinator who can keep them playing at a top level.
“San Francisco 49ers, you are, and we are in gigantic trouble,” Acho said. “You saw what happened to the defense when Robert Saleh went to the Jets. Kyle Shanahan was absolutely lost, dumbfounded. Defense went from the top five in football to the bottom 15 in football. San Francisco 49ers, it does not matter if Nick Bosa and Fred Warner are out there.
“If the defensive coach hired is not the right one, the season is over before it ever begins. Robert Saleh is a top-three defensive mind in football right now, and you saw how he can get the most out of players because they went to Philadelphia with a whole bunch of players that you do not even know the names of.”
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