Robert Saleh already has some tricks up his sleeve at 49ers training camp

There is a lot of hope that the San Francisco 49ers will be improved on defense this season. A lot of that hope has to do with the return of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh who is apparently showing he has some tricks up his sleeve in training camp.

Saleh was San Francisco's defensive coordinator from 2017 to 2020 and helped turn the defense into an elite unit during the 2019 season that resulted in a Super Bowl appearance. He departed to be the head coach of the New York Jets, and after that did not pan out he returned to familiar surroundings in Santa Clara.

Saleh's return has made San Francisco's coaching staff one of the more well-regarded staffs in the NFL. Saleh himself is seen as one of the top defensive coordinator's in the NFL. Players on both sides of the ball are clearly excited about Saleh's return.

Multiple 49ers commentators and reporters noted that Saleh had some interesting schemes and blitzes dialed up in practice on Tuesday.

Here are just some reactions:

ESPN reporter Nick Wagoner wrote on social media, "Saleh seems to be expanding the playbook a little this week. Saw some more exotic stuff yesterday and then again today. Doubt we'll see it in preseason games but Saleh says he's always looking to be ahead of the curve so tweaks and twists should be expected."

It is intriguing and exciting to see so many people who follow the team closely reacting to Saleh's return and impact in this way. While one cannot help but wonder what these unique defensive schemes look like, we will surely get to see what tricks Saleh has up his sleeve once the regular season rolls around.

It is refreshing to see that inventiveness has returned to the defensive coordinator role this season. After the struggles and blandness the team experienced under Nick Sorensen last season, it is great that a more seasoned coordinator can come in and give the defense a boost in this way.

Sorensen was definitely out of his depth as a coordinator and his predecessor, Steve Wilks, while changing some things like having the team blitz more often, was not thought of as a super inventive defensive mind.

Saleh seems to be just what this defense needed after last season. He has all sorts of new toys to play with in the rookies the team drafted so even if there are some growing pains as these young players adapt to the NFL, the expectation is that things will improve with Saleh in charge.

One cannot help but wonder what Saleh is cooking up for opposing offenses this year which is one of many reasons why the regular season cannot come soon enough.

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