The San Francisco 49ers have been preparing for the possibility of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh's departure for some time now, but it seems obvious they are grooming Gus Bradley to take over if Saleh ends up leaving after this season.
Bradley has gotten praise from players on the roster and head coach Kyle Shanahan for the speeches he gives them before games. The defensive assistant is a high-energy guy with a lot of experience and would be a natural successor to Saleh.
The former head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars has bounced around a lot in the NFL, serving as a defensive coordinator for several squads and gaining a reputation as a strong defensive coach.
Ever since his hiring in San Francisco, it has seemed like he could be a future candidate for defensive coordinator if Saleh ever left for another head coaching opportunity. The 49ers seem to be learning from past mistakes in which they cycled through defensive coordinators Steve Wilks and Nick Sorensen after one season each.
There was no clear internal candidate to replace Demeco Ryans when he left to be the head coach of the Houston Texans, and that led to issues with Wilks, who came from outside the team and ran a different kind of defense, while Sorensen was clearly not ready for a coordinator role.
It would probably be a fairly seamless transition from Saleh to Bradley if the former did depart, given he is familiar with the system and has a ton of experience. He even seems to bring the same sort of energy that Saleh does, which may be just as important.
However, it is not a given Saleh will leave San Francisco this offseason. He doesn't sound like he is in a rush for another head coaching gig, so unless the perfect opportunity came along, he may decide to stay with the Niners for one more season.
He certainly seems to be having more fun with the Niners than he did during his tumultuous tenure with the New York Jets. That could be a factor in his decision especially if the only teams that show interest in him are similarly dysfunctional franchises.
We'll see how the rest of this season shakes out. Saleh is clearly preoccupied with trying to get the most out of an injury-plagued defense, but if he does depart for greener pastures, at least the 49ers have a pretty obvious replacement in Bradley.