San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan made a significant change to his coaching staff, parting ways with Nick Sorensen as defensive coordinator and bringing Robert Saleh back to the organization.
Last season, the 49ers’ defense took a step back after getting to the Super Bowl in 2023 under then-defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. Under Soresen, the 49ers were ranked fifth in passing yards per game (192.8), 18th in rushing yards per game allowed (124.6), while also giving up the second-most rushing touchdowns (24).
Also, San Francisco was ranked 29th in scoring defense (25.6 points per game allowed) and only had 37 sacks (23rd in the league). Based on those numbers and the on-field play, it makes sense why Shanahan went back to Saleh.
According to Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area, 49ers star linebacker Fred Warner said last week that Saleh being back with the team has been “crucial.”
Saleh coached Warner for the first three years of his career. The star linebacker’s best year under Saleh was in 2020, when he was named to his first Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro.
The uber-talented defender posted 125 combined tackles, seven quarterback hits, six pass deflections, five tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries, two interceptions, and a forced fumble.
With the 49ers’ defense in a state of transition heading into 2025, Saleh is the perfect guy to hopefully get the unit on track. He has a couple of veterans in Warner and Nick Bosa that he can lean on, while also empowering the young guys on the new.
We saw in New York what he was able to do with a lot of veterans and young players on that defense, they had one of the best units in the league. There’s no reason why that can’t happen this year, especially after seeing the 49ers invest a ton of high draft capital in the 2025 draft.