The defense needs energy, Saleh brings that in spades, but the expectations are sky high for the returning defensive coordinator
The San Francisco 49ers struck gold (sorry) by replacing Robert Saleh with DeMeco Ryans. Replacing a widely sought-after defensive coordinator with another who delivers is no easy task. Ryans turned his time as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator into a head coaching job with the Houston Texans. Since Ryans’s departure, the 49ers employed two different defensive coordinators in as many seasons.
Steve Wilks and Nick Sorensen were one and done, and the 49ers were back to searching for their stable, permanent defensive coordinator this offseason.
Saleh became available again following a stint as the New York Jets head coach and consultant with the Green Bay Packers with his old friend Matt LaFleur.
Rightfully so, the 49ers jumped at the chance to bring Saleh back into the fold. The hire came with Saleh’s input on the 49ers draft and free agency moves. John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan knew this move was imperative and turned the keys over to Saleh to revamp the 49ers’ defense, specifically their bottom-of-the-league run defense.
After a disappointing 6-11 season, Saleh is tasked with returning the 49ers defense into the ferocious unit it was before he left. The 49ers draft was largely defensive-centric, and the fan base was filled with optimism again. Saleh’s energy and defensive mind is a no-doubt upgrade.
But is Saleh’s return leading to an unfair amount of pressure?
If the 49ers’ defense improves, which there is no reason to believe it won’t, then the move will be met with rave reviews. On the flip side, it does feel like Saleh HAS to deliver with the 2025 defense.
There hasn’t been a hire in recent memory that has this amount of expectations. While the 49ers will boast many rookies contributing meaningful snaps, the blame and praise will fall solely on Saleh.
It’s hard to argue that the real pressure should be on Lynch and Shanahan to prove that last season was just a set of unfortunate circumstances and a one-off for a franchise used to playing deep into January.
Jeff Chadiha of NFL.com highlighted the 49ers as a team that is being underrated, but began his assessment with Saleh’s hiring.
There are a lot of questions for the 49ers to answer after finishing 6-11 last season, but it’s not like they don’t have talent. The real issue is whether they can stay healthy and if the return of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh can energize a defense that finished 29th in points allowed. That unit could look a lot better if rookie edge rusher Mykel Williams can be the perfect complement to All-Pro Nick Bosa. It’s been years since the 49ers could line up with two bookends capable of hounding opposing passers. That defense also needs to improve because the 49ers will be going through their own transition on offense. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel is gone, and fellow wideout Brandon Aiyuk is returning from a torn ACL. That puts a heavier burden on quarterback Brock Purdy to utilize players like Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall in the passing game. Of course, it also will help if running back Christian McCaffrey can play in more than four games, as he did last season. It’s clear that plenty of things have to go right for the 49ers to be playoff contenders again. It’s also true that several core players still remain from a team that played in four conference championship games and two Super Bowls in the last six years. They’ll be better than most think.
Full context is always key when assessing any team and their performance, but Saleh will be under the microscope in 2025. Whether that is fair or not is another story, but the franchise is counting on Saleh to revitalize the 49ers’ defense.
All eyes will be on the coaching staff, but it certainly feels like Saleh is the one with the biggest expectations. In my opinion, the entire front office and coaching staff deserve equal pressure and expectations in 2025.
We’re all happy Coach Saleh is back. The 49ers defense needs his mind, but any shortcomings on the defensive side will be thrown at his feet.