Probably not, but they know the system and their coordinator.
Now that the San Francisco 49ers have locked in Robert Saleh as their defensive coordinator (no, really, this time, it’s official), we can move on to another storyline: free agency. Notably, the 49ers’ disappointing defensive line.
The good news is Saleh can be reunited with some folks from his last gig at the New York Jets: Javon Kinlaw and Solomon Thomas. Both are scheduled to hit free agency. You know them as two first-round picks the 49ers made that didn’t work out.
Thomas was drafted third overall in 2017, Kyle Shanahan’s first season. Unfortunately, his production was inadequate for his draft position, and his legacy with the 49ers might be left as “the guy the 49ers took over Patrick Mahomes.”
Maybe it was because of ability, maybe it was because of personal trauma no one should have to go through, but it just didn’t work. Thomas’s rookie season was his best, getting three sacks and 41 tackles. The 49ers declined his fifth-year option, and after sitting out nearly all of 2020 with a knee injury, he went to the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021.
Thomas reunited with his original defensive coordinator, Saleh, in 2022, signing three consecutive one-year deals with the team. His best with the Jets was in 2023, with five sacks and 41 tackles. His 2024 campaign was one of his worst, with only 2.5 sacks and 18 tackles.
Then there’s Javon Kinlaw. The time of separation from him and the 49ers is only one year. He was drafted in 2020, Saleh’s final season with the team, and then worked under DeMeco Ryans and Steve Wilks after Saleh’s departure.
That is, of course, when he could actually get on the field. Kinlaw played in only four games in 2021 and six games in 2022. He managed to play a full slate of games in 2023, but by then, it was clear his time was ending with the team. The 49ers declined his fifth-year option, and he rejoined Saleh with the Jets in 2024. His 2023 season was his best, but again, underwhelming given where he was drafted.
When it came t to the Jets, he came close to matching his 2023 numbers, but he also only played in 12 games vs. his 17 games with San Francisco. Then again, in 2024, he started all 12 of those games while only six with the 49ers. So you decide which way to swing.
Kinlaw’s 2024 season also included some costly games. A good example was a Jets game against the Buffalo Bills, during which Kinlaw accumulated three penalties that helped the Bills get into field goal range.
Thomas could come cheap, and he’s familiar with Saleh’s system since the Jets seem to keep bringing him back. His career in the NFL hasn’t worked out, but he could offer some depth.
Kinlaw, on the other hand, has only been one year removed from his original team. A team that expressed much visible frustration when he [Kinlaw] had difficulty seeing the field every season. And now that Kinlaw got to see it for 17 games, he still had some issues (again, see the Buffalo Bills drive).
They are options. Though, I don’t think they are options the 49ers would want to pursue. Even for depth, Saleh will need some guys who know how he wants things done but I don’t think those two would make sense given their history with the organization. While it would be rather interesting to see either first-round pick back in San Francisco, there hasn’t been enough development in either’s “fresh start” to think anything would be different beyond more fan (and their own) frustration.
What do you think? Should the 49ers open the door for either player’s return to get depth?