Robert Saleh's departure means 49ers must hone in on these 4 replacements

As I write this, there are 10 (count 'em) NFL head-coaching vacancies, and while logic would suggest that San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh would be somewhat choosy in his return to a top job following the not-entirely-his-fault debacle of his tenure with the New York Jets, there was enough evidence to point to the idea that he wasn't long for the Bay Area.

Even before the shocking opening in Buffalo arrived, he was already reputed to be a finalist for the Tennessee Titans' job, while he'd also appear to be a strong candidate for both the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers vacancies.

In all cases, they have strong combinations of one or more of the following:

a) A quarterback in place
b) A strong front office
c) Strong ownership

In the wake of multiple outlets reporting Saleh's acceptance of Tennessee's opening, the Niners are again forced to hone in on a new defensive coordinator for the fifth time in as many years:

Unlike offseasons past, though, there are some potentially intriguing candidates both sitting in and outside the organisation.

Let's take a look.

4 candidates to replace Robert Saleh as defensive coordinator

Gus Bradley

Were the 49ers to go internal with their new hire, my money would likely be on Bradley.

It's seemed that way almost since he arrived in San Francisco in tandem with Saleh last offseason. And after previous issues finding replacements for former coordinators DeMeco Ryans and Steve Wilks internally, it's not hard to understand why.

Bradley is schematically similar to Saleh and has several years experience as a defensive coordinator, most famously in Seattle with the Seahawks (forming the "Legion Of Boom" that most Niners fans will remember), but also having stops in Jacksonville, Los Angeles (with the Chargers), Las Vegas and Indianapolis.

If San Francisco is looking for a drop-in hire who will largely "touch nothing, and change nothing," Bradley would be the best fit by miles.

Of concern would be his latter-day struggles in Vegas and Indianapolis, the latter in particular producing some pretty horrible defenses, particularly in 2024, where his defense ranked bottom five in most categories and received many of the criticisms the 49ers defense often does: soft zone coverage leading to easy completions, lack of blitzing, poor pass rushing, and missed tackles.

Complicating matters would also be the very reason he's a candidate in the first place: would Saleh want Bradley as his coordinator wherever he may land?

If so, the 49ers could have a battle on their hands, or may decide to move on.

Johnny Holland

Another internal candidate, it seems strange that Holland's name has never come up for potential defensive coordinator jobs before. He's a coaching lifer, having broken in with the Green Bay Packers in 1995, and he's been on the 49ers staff in various roles (but usually coaching linebackers) since Kyle Shanahan's arrival in 2017.

The pull here is simple: Holland knows the organisation inside and out, and is well-trusted and highly regarded, particularly amongst the team's leaders like Fred Warner. It's also fair to say the linebacking corps has been one of the constants on defense, no matter the coordinator and general performance of the unit, and its also where a number of stars have developed, not least Warner himself.

All these are positive things, then, but perhaps the stumbling block on Holland's candidacy is that he could just simply not want to be a defensive coordinator. In the social-climbing world of the NFL, it seems odd that such an experienced coach has never been considered for or seemingly sought such a job.

Perhaps his cancer diagnosis in 2019 and frequent attempts to look after his health have stalled his career progression, or perhaps he simply doesn't want to chase careerism, given his gratefulness for his health.

Regardless, if he's ever going to do it, home ground could be the place.

Other internal candidates could be the likes of Daniel Bullocks and KJ Wright, both of whom have the advantage of being former players, but it might be too soon in either's coaching careers, particularly Wright, who has only been with the team for two years.

Jim Schwartz

The first of our external candidates, Schwartz has been around the NFL since the 49ers' last Super Bowl championship, originally scouting with the Browns before turning to coaching.

Since then, he was the long-time defensive coordinator for the Titans, and has reprised that role in recent years for the Bills, Eagles, and Browns, where he's built formidable units, particularly in the latter stop. He was also a head coach with Detroit (after reputedly being a candidate to join the Niners in 2005, along with the eventual hire Mike Nolan), and has had some experience with San Francisco that you may remember:

Outside of all that, though, Schwartz looks like a great fit. He's been a successful defensive coordinator in every stop, but he brings an aggressive, no-BS mentality that its easy to see players and fans alike getting behind. He's also adept at running a Wide-9 front with his defensive linemen and a 4-3 defense, two things that mesh well with San Francisco's current setup.

His head coaching experience also allows him to be a true "CEO of the defense" type, and should take some load off Shanahan as Saleh did, something former coordinators Steve Wilks and Nick Sorensen were unable to do.

I'd absolutely love this hire in response to Saleh's departure, but in truth, that only puts me on the level of the rest of the league, and therein lies the issue: Not only does Schwartz have a strange contract situation with the Browns (and may even land the head coaching job), but if he does become available, expect half the league to want him as a coordinator, with the Giants in particular being mentioned by many sources.

Still, the 49ers have never been afraid of a coaching bidding war.

Raheem Morris

And finally...

Morris has had a strange NFL career. A meteoric rise at Tampa Bay, where he was initially defensive coordinator, saw him become a head coach at age 33, but that would only last three years before he was let go.

He'd then cross paths with Shanahan in various roles with the Atlanta Falcons, coaching everything from defensive backs to wide receivers, before landing as defensive coordinator and interim head coach in 2020. He'd then move on to be the defensive coordinator of the Rams, where, as you might remember, he was pretty good at giving the 49ers some headaches, and also earnt his second Super Bowl ring.

That earnt him another shot at being a head coach with Atlanta, but the Falcons fired him this offseason following a 20-25 record over three seasons, and it's expected he'll get some looks as a defensive coordinator this offseason, assuming he still wants to coach.

This could actually be a very sensible hire. Morris is very much in the Saleh mold as a fiery players coach, while schematically he's close enough to Saleh for the shift not to seem too jarring. He's produced some very good defensive units, albeit his best contained the likes of Aaron Donald, but he was also integral in the 2023 Rams defense, which implemented a lot of younger players but did a great job in developing them.

Move the calendar on a few years, and that Rams defensive unit he helped start the genesis of sits one game from the Super Bowl. Given that the Niners seem to be aping the Rams defensive rebuild, why not steal away its architect, too?

Again, the 49ers will see heavy competition, but perhaps Morris' desire to put himself in the shop window.

And relationship with Shanahan, could be a winner.

Let's see what happens.