It may be too early to start thinking about the next crop of NFL head coaches, but that isn't stopping The MMQB over at Sports Illustrated from speculating on which current coordinators might be next in line.
The San Francisco 49ers defense is having an impressive start to the season, helping lift the team to a perfect 3-0 start. The unit currently ranks ninth in points allowed, seventh against both the pass and run, and second in total passing yards allowed.
Conor Orr of The MMQB has taken notice and named 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh as a coach to watch.
Here is what Orr wrote about Saleh:
"Saleh is energetic and young, and he comes from a great coaching tree. The 49ers are 3-0, second in total defense and are top 10 in both sacks and interceptions at a time when the interception is declining generally. Does he have tremendous talent up front? Yes, but the simplistic beauty of his defense allows good players to move fast and keep up with well-schemed offenses."
Last season, the 49ers defense set NFL-record lows for both total takeaways (7) and interceptions (2) in a season. This season, the unit has already matched its 2018 total with seven takeaways (tied for No. 2 in the NFL), five of which were interceptions.
Click here to read the entire feature over at The MMQB.
H/t to Patrick Tulini for the find.