5 urgent items already on Robert Saleh's to-do list

Welcome back, Robert. You and the 49ers have some things to do.

San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh
San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh | Perry Knotts/GettyImages

After a long saga, Robert Saleh is finally back with the San Francisco 49ers.

Everyone -- well, almost everyone -- seems delighted, and it's brought some real optimism to the fanbase.

That's good after the season the Niners have just endured.

Don't make the mistake of thinking Saleh will have all the answers, though; he's walking in to a very different team from the one he left back in 2021.

In fact, only two of his prior defensive starters are still under contract: defensive end Nick Bosa, and linebacker Fred Warner. That's how fast the pace of change is in the NFL.

So, while Saleh breaks down film and takes a look at what's available to him, lets take a look at the five biggest items on his to-do list.

How does the pass rush become dominant again?

OK, I'm a noted critic of Saleh, and it's for one reason: His best season came in 2019, when he had just about every single advantage available to him in the NFL chess game that is calling defense.

This couldn't have been displayed any better than on the defensive line, where he was able to start a ridiculous foursome: the aforementioned Bosa, defensive tackles Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner, and the speedy pass-rusher at defensive end, Dee Ford.

Mix in some quality depth like former first-round draft pick defensive end Solomon Thomas, Ronnie Blair, and defensive tackle D.J. Jones, and Saleh was essentially playing with some of the best cards in the deck on the defensive line.

That's not what he's got this time around.

He begins his second tenure with the 49ers still with Bosa, but outside of him, it's a smorgasbord of average NFL players (defensive tackles Jordan Elliott and Maliek Collins), useful but possibly waning veterans (defensive end Leonard Floyd), and unproven potential talents (defensive tackles like Kalia Davis and Evan Anderson, or defensive ends like Yetur Gross-Matos and Drake Jackson).

That, unsurprisingly, led to a pedestrian sack total last season, with the team recording just 34, safely in the bottom half of the league.

It's not so much that these players are bad. It's just that none has proven to be a consistent threat opposite Bosa. Floyd arrived with much fanfare to play opposite the former Ohio State phenom, but while he produced a good season, his aging body is likely better suited to a rotational role, while none of the other candidates produced anything that would suggest they could be anything other than spot starters in the near future.

Given the nature of Saleh's scheme (reliance on soft coverage and pressure from the front four with very little blitzing -- both his Jets and Niners teams frequently ranked in the bottom quarter in blitz rate), it's absolutely imperative that he find a shot in the arm for the pass rush, either from within the roster currently, or an outside solution, such as an early pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.

He'll need all the help he can get from defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, who has made stars out of middling talent such as Charles Omenihu and Arden Key in the past

What is the answer at safety?

A problem at safety has pretty much crept up on the 49ers. It's probably just over 12 months ago that fans were discussing the possibility of a long-term contract for Talanoa Hufanga, while then-rising rookie Ji'Ayir Brown was beginning to take a spot in the starting lineup, then bagged himself an interception in the Super Bowl to boot.

Unfortunately, the NFL waits for no one. Hufanga suffered a horrendous torn ACL midway through the 2023 season and has continued to have injury issues since, while Brown has been unable to capitalise on a decent rookie season and may actually be the 49er who took the biggest step backwards in 2024.

Hufanga returned to the lineup twice since but continued to play inconsistently and pick up injuries. He's an impending free agent, but it's unlikely to be someone the 49ers are massively enthused about giving a huge contract given his history of missing games and poor play.

That said, he's arguably on more solid ground than Brown, who was replaced in the lineup by Hufanga on a number of occasions. It's hard to see the 49ers being sold on the former either.

There is at least Malik Mustapha, who was excellent in his rookie season, to fill one half of the safety spots. But you sense the 49ers likely need a ballhawk and organiser at the spot next to him, not unlike now-Houston Texans safety Jimmie Ward did for many years with the 49ers.

Neither incumbent option would seem to be the ideal fit. Hufanga can be a great playmaker but is often ill-disciplined, whereas Brown frankly needs to find his feet again before any certainties can be said about his future role with the team.

It would appear likely the Niners will enter either the free agency or draft market to find Mustapha's safety partner, and finding a good one there will solve an awful lot of issues for Saleh as he reintroduces his scheme.

Who plays next to Fred Warner?

The answer for most people would be obvious: Dre Greenlaw.

Unfortunately, he's a free agent coming off a major injury, and there's a growing sense the 49ers may be outbid in trying to keep him.

This is, honestly, understandable. While it would cause a great deal of caterwauling from the fanbase, the fact is Greenlaw missed a huge chunk of last season, then re-injured himself when he returned. In a cap-conscious environment (in which the 49ers are likely to be, particularly if and when they extend quarterback Brock Purdy), it's easy to see a scenario where a team running a similar scheme -- the Texans, perhaps, under former defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans -- would get to a number contractually San Francisco wouldn't be willing to match.

Assuming it isn't Greenlaw, therefore, what next?

You can probably rule out another veteran. Various attempts to fill that and the "third linebacker" role have been disastrous, none more so than De'Vondre Campbell, who must have been one of the worst players (and personalities) to pull on the Red and Gold. While the 49ers may fortify the position with a special teams expert, like former 49er Oren Burks, it's unlikely they'll go big for a starting linebacker.

If they were willing to do that, they'd just pay Greenlaw.

It's more likely one of the Niners' young guns, such as Dee Winters or Tatum Bethune, gets an opportunity to step up, possibly with the addition of another Day 2 or 3 NFL Draft choice. And that may well be the right decision.

After all, Greenlaw was an unheralded young reserve picked in the fifth round once, too.

Whether the team keeps Greenlaw or not, it's time to start succession planning at the position. As with most Cover 3 schemes, Saleh's efforts rely on athletic linebackers who can play sideline-to-sideline. Further development of Winters or Bethune, perhaps along with an invigoration of new blood here, would be welcome and help San Francisco move forward.

Who's the nickel corner/who starts next to Deommodore Lenoir?

We'll combine the last two, as one likely begets the other.

Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir's rise has been nothing short of meteoric. He's gone from a "maybe" player drafted late (yet another fifth-round gem from general manager John Lynch and Co.) to a borderline All-Pro player, who cashed in with a massive extension in November.

And yes, he should've made the Pro Bowl.

The questions Saleh has to solve in the defensive backfield are less numerous than in his first tenure. The 2019 Niners were rolling out what was left of Richard Sherman and a former undrafted free agent in Emmanuel Moseley at corner, whereas this time, Saleh has Lenoir and ascending rookie Renardo Green.

But the questions that remain are largely around how, and what role, he puts his young talent into.

This begins with who starts opposite Lenoir. The answer is likely last year's second-round pick, Green. This probably won't spark panic in most Niners fans' hearts, as Green was excellent in his rookie season, and was one of the highlights of an otherwise quite moribund and dull season.

The assumption must be made that Charvarius Ward isn't returning, which is a pity. While he had a down season in 2024, he's still an excellent cornerback, and his unimaginable off-field tribulations can't have helped his performances this year.

However, given his comments about the Bay Area and the impact it has on him, it would be a major shock to see him here next year, and I don't think anyone can feel spitefully towards him about that.

This does, however, present the 49ers with a problem, as outside of the two top quality youngsters at corner in Lenoir and Green, the cupboard is largely bare.

Darrell Luter Jr. has failed to kick on despite being widely tipped for a big role, largely due to injury, while free-agent signings like Rock Ya-Sin and Isaac Yiadom not only failed to move the needle, but arguably moved it backwards.

That follows on from other attempts to add veteran depth at cornerback in the last few years, such as the disastrous signing of Isiah Oliver under former defensive coordinator Steve Wilks.

This is particularly true of the nickel spot, which has been a running sore for the team as far back as K'Waun Williams' departure in 2022, and that all three of Oliver, Yiadom and Luter have been projected to solve.

However, none have.

That leaves Saleh needing to find some talent and depth at the position, fast. With most teams in the NFC West employing a three-headed monster at wide receiver, having three quality cornerbacks to counteract them, particularly in Saleh's zone-heavy scheme, is a must.

Perhaps PFF's prediction of former 49er and current New York Jet D.J. Reed's return to San Francisco could be on the money after all.

What do you think Saleh's biggest challenges are, and how will he overcome them?

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