It was starting to become a serious concern for the San Francisco 49ers when they were undergoing their search for a new defensive coordinator.
The writing was on the wall that they wanted Robert Saleh back. However, Saleh was still interviewing for head coaching vacancies. Luckily for the 49ers, Saleh was not hired to be a head coach.
He would return to the 49ers after being away for five years. The echoing sentiment from players and coaches is that it feels like Saleh never left.
Having him back has been thrilling to everyone on the team, especially for Kyle Shanahan. He is relishing having Saleh back as the defensive coordinator.
"It's awesome having Saleh back. Everyone's familiar with him here," Shanahan said. "It's funny how few people are left. You get to see how much change and turnover there is. But there's guys like Dwelley and like Trent Taylor who were here with Saleh earlier, left and then they kind of came back at the same time he did.
"So they felt like he's been here the whole time. But it's been good having him back. It's nice hearing his voice in there, how he sees defense now, how he sees the NFL now. Things evolve all the time. He is still the same guy and what he believes in. But it's cool to hear how he has evolved in his last few years.”
While it is awesome to have a great friend like Saleh back, the aspect that Shanahan relishes most is knowing he can trust Saleh.
The last two seasons, especially in 2023, Shanahan was micromanaging the defense. He didn't place full trust in former coordinators Steve Wilks and Nick Sorensen.
With Saleh, he has no problem giving him the keys and walking away without concern. Just look at how the 49ers have operated this offseason.
Countless defensive moves derive from Saleh. It is clear that Shanahan has given him full autonomy over the defense, which is unheard of. That takes endless trust, which he has for Saleh.
The 49ers' defense is primed for a bounce back season with Saleh back.
