The San Francisco 49ers earned a gritty, hard-fought victory on Sunday night against the Atlanta Falcons. The Niners defense stepped up in a big way despite missing a ton of key players, which reflects very well on defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and could earn him another head-coaching job this offseason.
Saleh rejoined the 49ers as defensive coordinator after a few forgettable years with the New York Jets as their head coach. He helped establish the identity of San Francisco’s defense from 2017 to 2020, so it made complete sense for him to return to try and bring the defense back to its previous heights.
This is probably the most difficult challenge he has had with the 49ers, given the personnel on the field this time around. San Francisco has lost its two biggest stars on defense in edge rusher Nick Bosa and linebacker Fred Warner.
Yet, you wouldn't know that watching Sunday’s game against the Falcons.
Robert Saleh's stock value just skyrocketed after beating Falcons
Atlanta doesn't have a juggernaut offense by any stretch, but it has one of the best running backs in the league in Bijan Robinson, and young quarterback Michael Penix has a lot of promise and several talented pass-catchers to throw to.
Still, San Francisco limited Atlanta to just 10 points on the game. It was a masterful effort as other players stepped up in the absence of Bosa and Warner. Linebackers Tatum Bethune and Dee Winters looked solid, and Bryce Huff had a big game getting to the quarterback several times on the edge.
Even the secondary held together quite well despite missing rookie cornerback Upton Stout and then losing Renardo Green in the game. Defensive backs Darrell Luter Jr. and Chase Lucas especially stepped up and made big plays throughout the game.
These players, and the defense as a whole, deserve credit for how they played. But Saleh deserves a lot of credit as well for calling an exceptionally good game and having the team coached well enough to stop opposing offenses despite all of the injuries.
You can bet other teams around the league are taking notice especially with the Jets being 0-7 on the season, which may make everyone realize that Saleh was not the biggest problem there.
However, Saleh has a bit of a luxury this time around where he can be more selective in which franchise he chooses to join as a head coach. Clearly, the situation with New York was not ideal and did not work out, so he can be patient and look for a franchise that may have a better situation where he will have a greater chance for success.
You typically only get so many chances to be a head coach, so Saleh may be wise to wait things out.
However, if a decent opportunity arises this offseason, he may decide that he wants another go at being a head coach. Saleh's name has come up as one to watch for head coaching vacancies this offseason.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan will certainly do everything in his power to get him to stay. Shanahan would hate having to try to replace Saleh yet again after cycling through two straight one-and-done defensive coordinators each of the last two seasons.
The allure of being a head coach is strong though, and given the great job Saleh has done this season, he will likely have no shortage of suitors which could mean the Niners will lose him just as quickly as they got him back.