Saleh was Kyle Shanahan’s first defensive coordinator when he was hired as 49ers head coach back in 2017.
The San Francisco 49ers are going back to a familiar face to be their fourth defensive coordinator in as many seasons.
Robert Saleh, who won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks during his three seasons as a defensive quality control coach, has been hired as 49ers DC to replace another former Seahawks assistant in Nick Sorensen, who was not retained after just one season. Kyle Shanahan fired Steve Wilks as DC after the 49ers lost the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs, and DeMeco Ryans left the DC role after two seasons when he was hired as Houston Texans head coach.
Saleh is still Shanahan’s longest tenured coordinator, having been hired as part of Kyle’s first 49ers coaching staff in 2017. The 49ers had one of the best defenses in the NFL when they lost the Super Bowl in 2019, and were still top 10 in FTN’s DVOA in 2020 despite an extraordinary number of injuries. It’s his defensive success that led to head coach interest around the NFL, ultimately netting him the New York Jets job. Unfortunately for Saleh, while he substantially improved the defense into a formidable unit, the lack of any good quarterback play, a competent offense, or a competent front office led to a 20-36 record and a midseason firing in 2024.
Following his departure from the Jets, Saleh served as a consultant for the Green Bay Packers, with an eye on either getting another head coach job or a return to his more familiar role as defensive coordinator.
If nothing else, Saleh is highly regarded for his ability to coach defenses and the 49ers still have plenty of talent on that side of the ball.