Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has been hard at work this offseason with the rest of the San Francisco 49ers coaching staff, but it wasn't until Thursday that he finally took to the podium to discuss his return to The Bay.
"It's been great," Saleh replied happily when asked about rejoining the team. "A lot of the same faces. It's been pretty cool."
In fact, it's the only defensive coordinator position Saleh says he considered during his job search.
"You think about those first two years as defensive coordinator in 2017 and 2018, it wasn't easy," Saleh said. "It could have been very easy for (the organization) to move on from me, so I'm indebted to this organization, to those men, for the rest of my life... I'm excited about the opportunity to get a chance to do it again with them."
It's been four seasons since he was in command of the 49ers defensive unit, and while fixtures in the front office, coaching staff, and the roster remain intact, it's not the same team he left in 2021.
Following Saleh's departure, San Francisco went on to make two more NFC Championship Game appearances and earn a Super Bowl LVIII berth. Defensive lineman Nick Bosa won AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award, linebacker Fred Warner earned multiple First-Team All-Pro honors, and the roster, especially on the defensive side of the ball, has experienced some turnover. After moving on in 2021, Saleh got his first opportunity to be an NFL head coach, a title he held for three-plus seasons with the New York Jets.
"The perspective, I guess," Saleh replied when asked what the biggest change he's identified in himself over the last four seasons. "That was what was exciting about coming back, being in a building where I was once a coordinator and now having head coaching experience, to have that global view. There is a lot of empathy and understanding what Kyle (Shanahan) is going through and trying to help him out as best I can."
Another notable change, president of football operations/general manager John Lynch, Shanahan, and Saleh are not rebuilding the defense quite like they did headed into the 2017 season. As a first-year general manager and head coach, Lynch and Shanahan were tasked with revamping a Niners defense that finished 32nd-overall in total defense the year prior.
"From a talent standpoint, Bosa is here," Saleh said. "You obviously have Fred, Deommodore Lenoir, and Renardo Green. There is a lot of really good talent on this defense, so it's not nearly what 2017 was."
That's not to say there hasn't been a push this offseason to replenish talent and infuse youth on the defensive side of the ball, especially in the trenches. The 49ers were able to accomplish those feats in the 2025 NFL Draft, dedicating their first five picks to defense. San Francisco takes a collaborative approach to determine draft decisions, however, picks around the league set up situations that were favorable for the 49ers defensive unit.
"The board fell our way from a defensive standpoint," Saleh noted. "There was a lot of guys on offense that were graded higher that the offense was excited to go get, but they got pulled off the board. I was standing in the back of the room saying, 'Hey, I got a guy.'"
Headed into rookie minicamp weekend, Saleh is just looking forward to getting started with the incoming talent.
"I'm excited to get them out this weekend," the defensive coordinator said. "It's a really cool group of kids coming in. All of them are going to have an opportunity to compete to get significant playing time this year. It's exciting to get the injection of youth to go along with a lot of the veterans we have on this football team."
