Saleh will be fourth defensive coordinator in four seasons for San Francisco. DeMeco Ryans, who replaced Saleh in 2021, left to become head coach in Houston following the 2022 season, and Steve Wilks and Nick Sorensen were each replaced after one season the past two years.
Saleh was hired as Shanahan’s first defensive coordinator in 2017 and struggled the first two seasons. But after the team drafted defensive end Nick Bosa in 2019 and implemented the “wide nine” scheme that featured edge rushers lining up wide and focusing on getting up field, the defense took off.
San Francisco went to the Super Bowl in the 2019 season and still had a strong season the following season when Bosa missed almost the entire year with a knee injury, leading to Saleh getting the head coaching job with the Jets.
Saleh was fired midway through this past season in New York, but the Jets had a strong defense under his tenure. During Saleh's last two full seasons with the Jets in 2022-23, New York ranked first in yards passing allowed per game (178.9) and yards per play allowed (4.7), and second in total defense (301.7 yards per game).
The 49ers regressed this season under Sorensen as the injury-filled unit struggled to create turnovers, stop the run and create consistent pressure on the quarterback.
San Francisco ranked 29th in the league in scoring defense, allowing 25.6 points per game, and was tied for the seventh-fewest takeaways with 17. The Niners had just two takeaways over the final nine games and ended the season allowing at least 40 points in back-to-back games for the first time since 2015.
The 49ers are also conducting searches for an offensive coordinator and special teams coordinator. Passing game specialist Klay Kubiak is expected to get promoted into the offensive coordinator spot that hasn’t been filled since Mike McDaniel left following the 2021 season to become head coach in Miami.
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