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49ers’ Robert Saleh not getting hired is a blessing in disguise

By John Buhler

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No, San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh didn’t get a head-coaching gig this offseason. Is that a good thing for the 49ers in 2020?

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San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh will not be one of the new head coaches in the NFL for the upcoming 2020 season. He interviewed at a few places, most notably the Cleveland Browns, where he was a finalist for the job. Unfortunately for him, he’ll have to wait until 2021 for him to get his opportunity. Is this actually a good thing for him and the 49ers?

On this week’s episode of Stacking the Box, FanSided‘s Matt Verderame and Josh Hill, along with former NFL offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz, look at why Saleh didn’t get a head-coaching opportunity this cycle, the chances he’ll get one next year and if this is a blessing in disguise for the 49ers heading into 2020 (42:03)?

Verderame is bummed that Saleh wasn’t able to get an opportunity to lead his own team for next season. Unless the Houston Texans do the right thing and fire Bill O’Brien, Saleh will have to wait until 2021. While Saleh is a great coach, it’s not great that he’s coming back in 2020. The reason for this is his defense may not be as strong next year and he could lose some of his shine.

Schwartz agrees with Verderame in that if a coach’s goal is to one day become a head coach, then getting passed over like Saleh didn’t isn’t great. You never know when you’ll be a hot commodity again and you have to strike while the iron is hot. Perhaps Saleh will get another crack at it in 2021, but he’ll be back with the 49ers next year, barring something unforeseen happening.

Overall, it’s actually pretty great for the 49ers that Saleh isn’t a head-coaching candidate right now. This will allow him to focus on getting his defense ready to beat the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship. If that goes over well, then he can get ready to take on the AFC Champion in Super Bowl LIV down in Miami. There are no job distractions getting in his way at this time.

As for 2020, it remains to be seen if Saleh will have this defense playing this well again. One would think that the interview process would make him a solid candidate next year, even if the team doesn’t live up to lofty expectations. We have to believe Saleh will be an NFL head coach at some point, but he missed a golden opportunity in this cycle. Maybe it is a blessing in a disguise after all?

Here are a few other topics discussed on this week’s episode of Stacking the Box:

  • Verderame talks about his experience of the game (5:15)
  • Texans’ coaching cost them the game (6:14)
  • Thoughts on Vikings, Seahawks (24:17)
  • Another coach will jump from NCAA to NFL in 2021. In or out? (45:11)

All this and more!

dark. Next. Do the 49ers have an easier path to the Super Bowl?

Subscribe to Stacking The Box and follow Geoff Schwartz, Matt Verderame and Josh Hill on Twitter.