When the San Francisco 49ers brought back Robert Saleh to coordinate their defense, many discussed just how much influence he would have over the defensive side of the ball. As a former DC for the Niners and then a head coach for the New York Jets through part of 2024, Saleh had an intimate understanding of both how San Francisco operates and how to lead a group. Some hoped it would be a return to the 49ers defense of 2019.
Well, Saleh's influence on the Niners might be greater than previously expected, especially if fans take CEO Jed York's word for it.
After the 49ers selected Georgia defensive end Mykel Williams, a pick that screamed Robert Saleh, York tweeted that "Saleh is back in the building ladies and gentlemen:"
Saleh is back in the building ladies and gentlemen #trenches
— Jed York (@JedYork) April 25, 2025
Adding more fuel to the fire, ESPN's Peter Schrager reported on the Pat McAfee Show that Saleh played a major role in ranking the defensive linemen in the draft, and that Williams was a personal favorite of Saleh's.
"Robert Saleh had a big voice in ranking the defensive linemen and Robert Saleh loved this dude [Mykel Williams]" -- @PSchrags on the @PatMcAfeeShow about the #49ers' draft pick.
— Akash Anavarathan (@akashanav) April 25, 2025
When people think about the 49ers under Saleh and that 2019 defense, they think about one thing primarily: the defensive line. In recent years, San Francisco's D-line has not lived up to that standard. Even though Saleh may have known the defense was undergoing an overhaul when he signed up, he must have pounded the table for his guy on the defensive side, right?
In reality, Saleh's influence cannot be understated in terms of shaping how the 49ers approach defense overall, but he likely had little influence on whether theys were selecting a defensive lineman to begin with. For starters, when general John Lynch met with reporters before the draft, he explicitly mentioned the need for defensive linemen and someone who can set the edge.
Saleh getting to work 📚 pic.twitter.com/WKfVstMySy
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) April 25, 2025
Saleh's return to the Bay Area is an attempt to get the 49ers back to a defensive standard they have not met in a while, and although the defensive coordinator is unlikely to be driving the team in a certain direction, he has definitely proven to be heavily involved in the Niners' plans.
Now it is time to get to work.