A lot of the talk right now surrounding San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has to do with whether he will become a head coach for another team, but right now he is focused on beating the Philadelphia Eagles.
Saleh spoke with the media ahead of San Francisco's challenging Wild Card matchup in Philadelphia on Sunday, and he gave a potentially revealing answer about Eagles running back Saquon Barkley.
When asked why Barkley's production has dipped after an outstanding 2024 season, Saleh paused briefly, choosing his words carefully before saying, "I’m gonna skip that question from a schematic standpoint."
He went on to praise Barkley and made sure to say the 28-year-old is still elite and explosive. But that hesitation and slight refusal to answer may give a hint that he and the Niners coaching staff have identified a weakness in the 2024 Offensive Player of the Year.
There is no question that Barkley has seen a drop off in 2025 production compared to last season. In 2025, he rushed for 1,140 yards on 280 carries. That is dangerously close to half of the 2,005 rushing yards he put up last season on 345 attempts as he helped lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl.
It is not entirely Barkley's fault as he is running behind a depleted offensive line this offseason that has not blocked as well for him. Plus, defenses are clearly focusing on limiting Barkley and have employed five-man fronts to try and keep him contained.
It has worked fairly well so far, and the 49ers are going to have to try to do the same thing after they have looked purely incapable of stopping the run in their last two contests.
It does not help matters that the Niners are going to be without linebacker Tatum Bethune, who was already filling in for an injured Fred Warner, for the entirety of the playoffs. They may well be without Dee Winters, too, which may force them to start two guys at linebacker who were not even on the team prior to Thanksgiving: Eric Kendricks and Garret Wallow.
It is a game that could definitely get ugly with how bad San Francisco's defense has been, but maybe Saleh has identified a weakness in Barkley that could help at least keep the Niners in the game and give the offense a chance to win it.