SANTA CLARA — Robert Saleh made it clear Thursday he is not starting from scratch, be it from a coaching perspective in his return as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator or from the roster’s talent compared to his 2017 initiation.
“You think about those first two years as D-coordinator in ’17 and ’18, it wasn’t easy, and it could have been very easy for them to move on from me, you know,” Saleh said. “So I’m indebted to this organization and those men for the rest of my life.
“They stuck with me. We made it happen. We did what we needed to do and the rest is history,” said Saleh, whose previous tenure peaked with a 2019 team’s Super Bowl run. “I’m excited about the opportunity to get a chance to do it again with them.”
Saleh officially got re-hired in late January, having finished last season as a Green Bay Packers offensive consultant following his Week 6 firing as the New York Jets coach. He went 20-36 with the Jets, including 7-10 stints in 2022 and ’23 before last season’s 2-3 start.
While his defensive schemes have evolved, his approach remains constant and it mirrors the mottos he preached in his first go-round with the 49ers, such as: “Extreme Violence! All gas, no brake!”
Those principles could need some reinforcing after last season’s tailspin to a 6-11, last-place team that uncharacteristically struggled stopping the run. Saleh, however, cut that team some slack, and not just because the 49ers beat his Jets 32-19 in the season opener.
“There’s a lot of empathy for happened to the group last year. There’s a lot of things,” Saleh said. “Through the halfway point, this defense was playing some really good football. There were a lot of injuries and the wheels kind of fell off the last four weeks of the season.
“For the coaching staff and the players, there’s a lot of empathy, in terms of like, ‘Man, you’re doing your best. It just didn’t work out.’ But these guys play their butts off,” Saleh added. “Nick (Bosa) and those guys did a really nice job. It’s bringing in this youth, getting them caught up to what the standard is and doing our best to uphold it.”
Saleh heralded not only Bosa and linebacker Fred Warner — the two remaining staters from his previous stint — but also starting cornerbacks Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green as part of “really good talent on this defense.”
Saleh’s welcome-back present from the 49ers was an NFL Draft class fruitful with six defensive additions: defensive end Mykel Williams (first round); defensive tackles Alfred Collins (second) and C.J. West (fourth); linebacker Nick Martin (third); and, safety Marques Sigle (fifth). Those rookies, along with six undrafted free agents, arrived Thursday for their minicamp that runs through Saturday.
“It’s going to be a crash course, and if any of them are worthy, they’ll be on the field Week 1,” said Saleh, echoing the 49ers’ stance that the draft board simply fell his way thanks to higher-ranked offensive players being snatched up before the 49ers’ turns.
That influx of youthful talent was a necessity on defense, after free agency cast six defensive starters elsewhere: defensive linemen Leonard Floyd, Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins; linebacker Dre Greenlaw; cornerback Charvarius Ward; and, safety Talanoa Hufanga.
While Saleh had a fiery sideline demeanor in his first stint with the 49ers, he exuded calm during Thursday’s 15-minute session with 25 media members, mostly keeping his hands tucked into the pockets of his black Lululemon sweatsuit with an accompanying military watch.
Since Saleh left in 2020 to become the Jets coach, the 49ers’ defensive coordinator role rotated from DeMeco Ryans (2021-22) to Steve Wilks (2023) to Nick Sorensen (2024). Both Ryans and Sorensen were promoted from within, whereas Wilks was an external hire whose tenure abruptly ended after the Super Bowl overtime loss to Kansas City. Ryans is entering his third year as the Houston Texans’ coach, WIlks is the Jets’ new defensive coordinator, and Sorensen is the Dallas Cowboys’ special teams coordinator.
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Should Saleh parlay his 2025 encore into his next head-coaching gig, the 49ers’ seemingly have his successor on staff with Gus Bradley, hired this year as an assistant head coach.
“Obviously going through the head coaching stuff, you learn a lot. But I’m happy to be back in this chair where you get to coach a little more football and not deal with all the administrative stuff that comes with being the head coach,” Saleh said. “… There’s a lot of empathy for understanding what Kyle goes through.”
Brant Boyer, the 49ers’ new special teams coordinator, previously worked under Saleh with the Jets. “The way I’ve seen him treat people, the positivity that comes out of him, and the man that he is that I’ve gotten to know, and to be here with him again is awesome,” Boyer said.
Saleh said he learned a lot from his Jets’ tenure, and although the didn’t outright make the correlation, he raved about the 49ers’ collaboration and communication between Kyle Shanahan’s coaching staff and John Lynch’s personnel department, as well as the ownership.
His consultant role late last season for Packers coach Matt LaFleur also has given him momentum for this 49ers return.
“I joke with Matt. It was more therapy for me than it was help for him,” Saleh said. “I’d give him a defensive perspective – looking from an offensive standpoint watching the defense, giving him thoughts on rules and what may or may not work. I’m forever grateful for Matty just opening the door to his building and allowing me the opportunity to work there. From a mental space, it was more therapeutic than anything for me.”