With SF 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh hired by the Jets, Niner Noise looks at which free agents may follow him.
It was a major shock to the SF 49ers and the general following of the NFL that Robert Saleh didn’t get a head coaching job following his 2019 résumé. He had one job interview with the Cleveland Browns but ended up returning to the Niners for another year of shepherding a defense ripe with talent and coming off a season of dominance.
The 2020 NFL season didn’t go as expected.
A plethora of injuries severely limited the high-end capabilities of a defense that had ranked second in Football Outsiders’ DVOA in 2019, at minus-20 percent (negative is better). The end result this year, minus the bookend edge-rushers among many others? Minus-9.9 percent, good for sixth in the league this year.
Clearly, the defense missed the high-end talent EDGEs Nick Bosa and Dee Ford provided. But to still be ranked sixth despite the number of players missing?
That’s phenomenal coaching, and a clear indication Saleh had developed as a play-caller.
Saleh also had grown significantly in terms of diversifying his play-calls, adjusting the traditional Cover 3, single-high scheme he was hired to do to play more two-deep safety looks, allowing the defense to excel despite the personnel losses.
It comes as no surprise Saleh was hired as the new coach of the NY Jets after garnering significant interest from most if not all hiring teams. He leaves the SF 49ers with a stellar performance record and having left a strong impression on most of his former players.
Although Saleh is more than capable of adapting his scheme to the players the Jets have right now, he probably will look to sign some of his former players as he tries to build a culture in New York. The fact the Jets have $70 million in cap space right now, and will likely be near that number despite the restrictive cap for the 2021 NFL season, per Over The Cap, only amplifies the idea the SF 49ers may be losing more than just assistants to New York.
With that in mind, Niner Noise will take a look at five free agents who are more likely to make the move over to the Big Apple.
No. 5: SF 49ers CB Ahkello Witherspoon
While Jason Verrett is the far more valuable cornerback of the two who still have a chance to return to the SF 49ers, his entwinement with Robert Saleh is different than that of Ahkello Witherspoon. Whereas Verrett will likely be looking for a big contract and could be swayed by the work of the SF 49ers medical staff, Witherspoon will be looking for a chance to revitalize a career that has been up and down.
For all intents and purposes, it has seemed Saleh has supported Witherspoon throughout his attempts to regain his confidence and showcase his talent.
And talent, Witherspoon does have.
In 2017 and the beginning of 2019, he played quite well. The end of the 2020 season was just as promising.
The biggest likelihood for Witherspoon to continue his renaissance of his career though will be in a different location. It has little to do with the SF 49ers’ feelings towards Witherspoon but just makes sense given how his confidence had seemed to be the major factor holding him back.
Going to be with his former defensive coordinator would give him a scheme he’s comfortable with but a new location.
No. 4: SF 49ers DE Ronald Blair
A rotational player, defensive end Ronald Blair missed the entire 2020 season dealing with complications from surgery underwent for a torn ACL the previous December. That said, in 2019, Blair was a key factor of the defensive line, playing primarily on the “Bravo” unit (backups) of the defensive line and making plays as the year went on.
Blair by no means is a star player who will drastically change the Jets defense for the better, but he is capable of playing well and being a “glue guy” who helps bring the culture change Robert Saleh will want when leaving the SF 49ers for the Jets. Blair also will be a cheap signing for the Jets, and given his injury concerns, it seems unlikely the Niners would be able to find the money to pay him among the plethora of free agents they have.
What really seals this as a possibility would be how much it seems Saleh likes Blair.
“He’s just a model of consistency, man,” Saleh once told reporters (h/t 49ers Webzone). “I love Ronnie. I’ve gushed about him up here, and I can do it for another 15 minutes if you all like. You guys know how I feel about him.”
These types of moves typically happen, bringing rotational players to ease the transition of the team to a new scheme and new mentality.
No. 3: SF 49ers DT Solomon Thomas
In grading the SF 49ers drafts over the last four years, a primary thorn in the 2017 draft was the disappointing career of defensive lineman Solomon Thomas. He was probably over-drafted a tad at No. 3 overall, but regardless, his performance was rarely league-average.
An unfortunate torn ACL in Week 2 against those NY Jets probably means the end of his tenure with the SF 49ers.
However, the reason Thomas could be an option for the Jets is largely the same reason why Ahkello Witherspoon is a flight-risk. Entering free agency, a good place to rehabilitate a career is going to the team that has a prominent figure that runs a scheme you know about and knows how to work with you to unlock your best-case potential.
Another prospect for Thomas is how he didn’t get a real chance to develop at his best position: interior defensive tackle. A lack of edge depth pushed Thomas outside during the formative parts of his career, and in 2019, Arik Armstead took control of the “Big” defensive end position that shifts inside for passing downs.
Thomas will likely not reach the levels of being a top-three pick in his career. But a new location with a scheme and coordinator he’s developed with?
That’s as good a chance as any to rebuild his career.
No. 2: SF 49ers FB Kyle Juszczyk
This might come as a surprise, mostly because Robert Saleh is a defensive coach and fullback Kyle Juszczyk is anything but a defensive player. But a hidden component of the hiring of Saleh is the poaching of SF 49ers passing game coordinator Mike LaFleur as offensive coordinator of the Jets.
LaFleur will likely, in what will be his first opportunity to call plays of his own, replicate much of the SF 49ers scheme head coach Kyle Shanahan runs in his early going before diversifying on his own later on once he gains a stronger command of the situation.
That points squarely in the direction at fullback.
A lot of the positionless facet of the SF 49ers offense run by Shanahan comes from the versatility of Juszczyk, who was paid during his four-year tenure with San Francisco for that versatility, given his $4.5 million salary far and away the highest of any fullback.
But the SF 49ers aren’t in 2017 anymore, and money is not easily accessible like it was during the beginning of the rebuild. If Juszczyk is looking for money like that, the Niners will not be easy to get it from.
A team that is in the situation the 2017 SF 49ers were in is… the Jets.
With money to burn right now, these types of overpays are likely to happen, and if LaFleur thinks Juszczyk is the key to start his offense off right, “Juice” might be heading out to the East Coast.
No. 1: SF 49ers DB Richard Sherman
The most likely candidate to leave the SF 49ers and go to Saleh’s new team is current cornerback Richard Sherman. Sherman was brutally honest about his contract situation, citing the cap shortage and the number of players before him as priorities.
It will be extremely unlikely he returns to San Francisco.
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When Sherman was signed in 2018, he was coming off an Achilles tear but was still in the relative waning stages of his prime. Not anymore. Sherman is an elder statesman, and if this year showed anything, his days of playing cornerback are numbered.
However, Sherman has also been vocal about a transition to safety in his career, and Saleh schemed him into those types of situations numerous times as the 2020 season came to an end. With money to use and an opening at free safety, adding Sherman to the Jets secondary wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world.
The real reason, though, why Sherman will likely follow Saleh and why Saleh will embrace him with open arms, is the culture shift.
Sherman took the secondary under his wings during his tenure as a SF 49ers player, helping build a strong accountable culture that has taken root in the defense currently. He was a Niners enemy for many years, but his intangibles have helped shape this team for years to come.
For a team that needs a complete wash following a disastrous tenure, it’s that type of wisdom that will help shape the Jets in Saleh’s tenure for years to come.
To learn more about what DeMeco Ryans, the reported replacement for Saleh, will bring to the table, take a look at the article above, which talks about him and others for the job Saleh will be vacating.