Report: Robert Saleh expected to return as 49ers defensive coordinator

According to The Athletic, Robert Saleh will be heading back to the San Francisco 49ers to be the defensive coordinator. Saleh was involved with a few open head coaching jobs, most notably the Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Instead, he will return to a place where he found a ton of success under Kyle Shanahan. A big move for San Francisco after missing the playoffs this past season, hoping to improve what was a porous defensive unit in 2024.

“Welcome back, Robert Saleh,” a group of writers from The Athletic said. “According to league sources briefed on the coaching search, the San Francisco 49ers are expected to land the top target of their defensive coordinator search, the man who in 2017 established the system the 49ers have run ever since.”

Saleh was hired by the 49ers back in 2017 and as mentioned, set the foundation for the team’s defensive system to this date. He stayed for four seasons before getting an opportunity to be a head coach with the New York Jets. Three full seasons were given before the Jets fired Saleh after five games in 2024, giving him a career 20-36 record.

Green Bay was able to hire Saleh for the remainder of the year, letting him serve as an offensive consultant. There was some success there, helping the Packers get into the playoffs. But just for one game as they lost in the Wild Card Round to the Philadelphia Eagles.

This past season was a rough one defensively for San Francisco, having one of the worst scoring defenses. Giving up 25.6 points per game ranked No. 29 of 32 teams, only being below the Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, and Tennessee Titans.

Speaking of Dallas, Saleh did interview with the Cowboys recently to potentially become their head coach. The meeting took place on Saturday but clearly, nothing came to fruition. Saleh will instead be one of Dallas’ main rivals next year.

Getting back to some of the old units Saleh used to run will be the 49ers’ main goal. During the 2019 run to the Super Bowl, they ranked as the No. 8 scoring defense and allowed the second-fewest yards. If just a few things went their way against Kansas City, there might be a Super Bowl championship to celebrate.