As the San Francisco 49ers attempt to bounce back from a woeful 2024 campaign, one seemingly under-the-radar move was the return of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.
While the Niners offseason is headlined by Deebo Samuel questions and queries about the contracts of Brock Purdy, George Kittle and others, the health of Brandon Aiyuk, etc., Saleh's return to a defense that hasn't found stability since DeMeco Ryans left for Houston two years ago is a massive get for San Francisco.
General manager John Lynch said Wednesday from the NFL Scouting Combine that Saleh's return has been seamless.
"It's awesome to have Saleh back. It felt like he never left, to be honest," Lynch said. "You get very close with folks when you work with them as much as we do. Saleh brought a great deal when he was last here, I think he's even better now with the experiences he's had. And it's a welcome sight to have him back, the energy that he brings, the expertise that he brings, the leadership he brings. We're very happy to have Robert and his growing family. That has grown quite a bit since he last left, I think number eight on the way. Happy for Sanaa and Robert and we love their family. We love what Robert brings. I remember meeting with him in my backyard when Kyle asked me, 'Hey, I want you to interview this guy. I think he'd be a great DC for us.' And he had me from that moment on."
Saleh ran the Niners' defense from 2017 to 2020, which included a sensational 2019 campaign in which San Francisco finished in the top 10 in yards allowed (No. 2), points (No. 8), and was No. 1 in passing defense on their way to Super Bowl LIV.
Saleh left for the New York Jets in 2021, where he spent four seasons before being fired midway through the 2024 campaign. San Francisco seamlessly moved from Saleh to Ryans, and the defense thrived. However, despite another Super Bowl run in 2023, Kyle Shanahan has gone through two DCs, Steve Wilks and Nick Sorensen, in the past two years. The hope is that Saleh stabilizes the spot.
If San Francisco's defense is to return to its height, reinforcements must be brought into a group that's seen attrition. The Niners have free agents at every level, including linebacker Dre Greenlaw, coming off an injury, corner Charvarius Ward and safety Talanoa Hufanga in the secondary, and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave up front.
The Niners restructured Hargrave's contract during the season, allowing his release to free up cap space. Hargrave played just three games in 2024 due to injury. Lynch didn't discount bringing the defensive tackle back but noted his market would probably be too rich for San Francisco.
"It is, but I would tell you, I think that the D tackle market's going to be, it's a premium position and they typically do well," he said. "And even Javon, who's coming off the tricep, I think he's well on his way to being healthy, and I think it'd be a robust market, but we'll see. And we've had good discussions with Javon. When we kind of talked about the transaction we were going to make that, yeah, we'd be interested in a scenario where he comes back and hopefully we can be involved in that. We'll see."
San Francisco's lack of horses up front was glaring last season. If the NFC West's last-place team is to take advantage of its favorable schedule in 2025, it'll need to find answers and depth in the trenches to avoid disappointment in Saleh's return.
