The San Francisco 49ers have officially announced the hiring of Robert Saleh, who will serve as the defensive coordinator on head coach Kyle Shanahan's staff.
News of the hire was first reported on Monday by Adam Caplan of
ESPN. The news came as
the team officially announced nine additions, including Saleh, to the coaching staff.
Saleh, the linebackers coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars since 2014, was reportedly set to join the Los Angeles Chargers in the same role. Former Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley, who the 49ers tried to lure as their own defensive coordinator, joined the Chargers instead, and planned on taking Saleh with him.
Saleh was among two candidates interviewed last Friday for the vacant position on head coach Kyle Shanahan's staff. The other was Atlanta Falcons defensive passing game coordinator Jerome Henderson, who worked on the same staff with Shanahan in 2016.
RELATED Tracker: Kyle Shanahan's 49ers Coaching Staff
Saleh, 38, will be NFL's third-youngest defensive coordinator and the 49ers' first rookie defensive coordinator since Greg Manusky was hired in 2007.
Saleh's NFL coaching career kicked off in 2005 as an intern working with the Houston Texans defense. In 2006, he was hired as a defensive quality control coach for the Texans and then promoted to assistant linebackers coach in 2009. In 2011, Saleh joined the Seattle Seahawks as their defensive quality control coach, where he remained for three seasons. He was part of their 2013 championship season when they defeated the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.
The 49ers will reportedly return to a 4-3 defense, the same system that Gus Bradley runs and a system that Saleh has worked within since 2011. The move could be a big change for the 49ers' top draft picks over the past two years. Defensive lineman
Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner were brought in to fit the team's 3-4 scheme and work with edge defending linebackers on the outside. The transition might mean a shift in responsibility for one of those players. Of course, it is entirely possible that free agency or the draft addresses one or more of the needs necessary to properly shift to the 4-3.
On Friday morning,
Shanahan spoke about Saleh on KNBR. Shanahan and Saleh met in Houston when the 49ers head coach served as a receivers coach there and Saleh was the defensive quality control coach.
Saleh worked with Gus Bradley's defense with the Seattle Seahawks and then went with him to Jacksonville when Bradley became the head coach. Saleh's experience with that system influenced Shanahan's decision to bring him aboard. Shanahan called Seattle's defense very sound, disciplined, and tough to go up against. That is what the 49ers want to create under Shanahan.
"They make you work all the way down the field," Shanahan said. "When someone makes you work all the way down the field, no matter how talented they are, you have to be on as an offense to score points because you can get to the red zone, you can get yards, but in order to get touchdowns, you have to execute. And it's a defense that makes you execute."
"Robert Saleh is as smart as anyone I've been around," Shanahan added. "He studies everything. He knows a lot of different systems but he knows the true Seattle/Atlanta/Jacksonville system inside and out as much as anybody I've been with."
In 2016, Jim O'Neil served as the defensive coordinator for the 49ers within Chip Kelly's staff. Under his helm, the 49ers defense ranked last in the league. The unit had given up an average of 31.0 points per game (32nd), 424.9 yards per game (32nd), and a league-high 176.3 rushing yards (32nd). No team in 49ers franchise history has given up more rushing yards than the 2016 squad.
The San Francisco 49ers announced several roster moves ahead of their Thursday night matchup against the New York Giants.
RELATED: Brandon Aiyuk not expected to play vs. Giants
The team has promoted cornerback Tre Swilling from the practice squad to the active roster, a move that was first reported on Wednesday by Jordan Schultz. To make room on the roster, the 49ers have released cornerback Anthony Brown, who was initially signed this week.
In addition, the following players have been
The San Francisco 49ers have released the list of inactive players for their Week 2 matchup on the road against the Los Angeles Rams. These players will not suit up for the game.
Inactives:
QB Brandon Allen
RB Tyrion Davis-Price
DL Kalia Davis
LB Jalen Graham
OL Nick Zakelj
The 49ers got through the week nearly injury-free, with cornerback Samuel Womack, who was placed on Injured Reserve Saturday, being the lone injury.
With a short inactives list, 49ers' rookie tight end Brayden Willis and linebacker Dee Winters will both suit up on Sunday for their first-career regular season action.
In addition, the 49ers are elevating cornerback Tre Swilling from the practice squad for Sunday's
Thursday night was a fun one at Levi's Stadium, where the San Francisco 49ers cruised to a 30-12 victory over the visiting New York Giants. It was a night that saw wide receiver Deebo Samuel declare himself as officially out of "awful" mode, running back Christian McCaffrey reach milestones, wide receiver Ronnie Bell create some lasting memories, and -- of all things -- Andrew Luck making a return to an NFL field (in full Civil War costume) to take part in a game of trivia.
Let's recap all that and more in this version of 49ers Notebook.
Not awful anymore
Back in June, Deebo Samuel caught some attention with his honest description of his 2022 performance
The San Francisco 49ers improved to 3-0 on the season after a 30-12 Week 3 win over the New York Giants at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Below are several statistics and notes from Thursday's game, which were provided by the 49ers Communications staff.
With The Win...
San Francisco has started the regular season 3-0 for the first time since 2019 and the 9th time in franchise history.
The 49ers have won back-to-back regular season games against the New York Giants [W, 36-9 at NYG (9/27/20)].
San Francisco has won their home opener for the second-consecutive season.
The Niners improved to 22-21 against the Giants,
