This adds to something earlier this week.
The season has barely ended, and the San Francisco 49ers are wasting no time zeroing in on their pick for defensive coordinator. Earlier this week, Josina Anderson reported that the 49ers were expected to offer Robert Saleh the job.
Now ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano add to the news that Saleh is the front-runner. Writing on ESPN.com, both had information about the 49ers search and a possible Plan B if Saleh should decide to take a head coaching job.
Graziano confirms what we’ve heard from his sources that Saleh is the favorite for the 49ers. That’s in line with what Anderson said. Saleh’s interviews and opportunities with a head coach are the main obstacle. As you know, Saleh has two head coaching interviews with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Los Vegas Raiders on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively.
The Jaguars still have Trent Baalke as their general manager. While they fired Doug Pederson as head coach, Baalke remains despite numerous draft pick misses and free agency misfires. The fanbase also flew a plane asking the club to fire Baalke.
That story in Jacksonville sounds strangely familiar.
Then there’s the Raiders. That’s a bit more attractive. They have Tom Brady joining the search and some outside help as well. Raiders owner Mark Davis hasn’t been the best at finding coaches, so with all this outside noise, maybe they can get it right this time.
Saleh’s dilemma will remain a head coach or go back to being a defensive coordinator. If it’s the head coach, like many have reported, then the Jaguars, Raiders, or somewhere else comes into play. Much of what happened on his watch with the New York Jets was just New York Jets things. He could get a second opportunity to be a head coach elsewhere this offseason.
And while he’s the top pick for the 49ers, he still might not make it back to Santa Clara. So what’s plan B? The 49ers interviewed Detroit Lions defensive back coach and pass game coordinator Deshea Townsend this week. Still, Fowler later stated in the article that Brandon Staley is a strong internal candidate.
Before working with the 49ers, Staley was the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. All I remember during his time with that team was a Week 15 game against the Raiders, where the Raiders hung 63 points on the Chargers. The Raiders were 5-8 and won 63-21. They also scored zero points the week before.
Let’s see how Jacksonville shakes out.