The San Francisco 49ers welcomed an old friend back to their coaching ranks this season, as they re-hired Robert Saleh as the defensive coordinator following a nightmarish stint as the head coach of the New York Jets that ended after less than three-and-a-half seasons.
However, Saleh has rehabilitated his stock as a coach by turning the San Francisco defense back around despite losing multiple key players to injuries. That was enough for a team to give him the keys to the proverbial kingdom for the second time in his coaching career.
Just when it looked like the Tennessee Titans were going to bring in former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, Mike Borgonzi flipped the script and named Saleh as the team's next head coach. Saleh joins John Harbaugh (Giants), Kevin Stefanski (Falcons), and Jeff Hafley (Dolphins) as finalized hires this cycle.
Meanwhile, the 49ers will continue onward in what has been a seemingly endless search for a defensive coordinator who will stick around long-term after Saleh's first coaching departure. Will it be an internal promotion, or another external hire this time around?
49ers need a new DC as Titans name Robert Saleh head coach
Saleh went 20-36 with the Jets, never winning more than seven games in a season. Saleh's tenure in New York was hampered by things he had no control over, like Woody Johnson's meddling ownership, but he had some big mistakes in discipline, quarterback development, and messaging that cost him.
Saleh failed with the Jets due to the Aaron Rodgers injury and never-ending deluge of passive-aggressive behavior he brings with him and his massive whiff on Zach Wilson high in the order. No one has questioned his defensive acumen, and he will bring that football brain with him to Tennessee.
Saleh's success in Tennessee may be determined by who his offensive coordinator is. Mike McDaniel, former Miami Dolphins head coach and 49ers offensive assistant, has been floated as a possible high-end replacement who can get Cam Ward performing at a level that Wilson was unable to reach in his career.
The 49ers look like one of the nastiest defenses in the league when Saleh is in town, and they are fairly pedestrian without him. As the NFC West continues to get even more difficult, hiring a solid coordinator that can fill the void (as they did with DeMeco Ryans) will make-or-break their Super Bowl odds next year.