The San Francisco 49ers overhauled their roster this offseason, parting ways with several high-priced veterans and replacing them with more cost-effective rookies. The team will rely on returning defensive coordinator Robert Saleh to get the most out of its newcomers and revitalize a unit that struggled last season.
Pro Football & Sports Network analyst Jacob Infante believes the 49ers defense is in good hands, ranking Saleh as the NFL's sixth-best defensive coordinator.
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"Ranking Robert Saleh this high comes with an asterisk, given that he's returning to the defensive coordinator ranks after being fired as New York's head coach last year," Infante wrote. "That said, he remains a top defensive mind in the NFL."
San Francisco struggled to consistently stop the run and pressure opposing quarterbacks during the 2024 season. The defensive line underwent a major overhaul, with the team moving on from Javon Hargrave, Maliek Collins, and Leonard Floyd, and replacing them with three draft picks—Mykel Williams, Alfred Collins, and CJ West.
Others, like fan favorites Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga, and Charvarius Ward, also departed, leaving the 49ers to look to their latest draft class and offseason acquisitions to help fill those key roles.
Saleh has a track record of maximizing his players' potential, and the 49ers are hopeful the defense will show significant improvement in 2025.
"Saleh's Jets ranked inside the top five in Defense+ in both 2022 and 2023," Infante added. "Before then, his defenses with the San Francisco 49ers played a significant role in their development into an NFC superpower. Now back in his old role as their DC, expect an improvement from a 49ers defense that placed just 26th in Defense+ last year."
H/t to Grant Cohn of Sports Illustrated for the find.