Kyle Shanahan spoke about the potential of losing Robert Saleh
One of the reasons some wanted the San Francisco 49ers to go in a different direction than Robert Saleh at defensive coordinator was the idea that Saleh would be a one-and-done, and the Niners would be back where they started one year later.
It was mildly surprising that Saleh didn’t get a head coaching gig during this cycle. If the 49ers play defense like they have every other year, Saleh will once again be a hot commodity in coaching circles next offseason.
Earlier this week at the NFL’s annual meetings in Florida, head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke about the possibility of losing Saleh:
“You understand that’s his ultimate goal, and that is for almost every coach. So if we had a hell of a year and we lost Saleh to another team, I’d be happy for him, disappointed for us. But I think it would mean we were doing some pretty good things, too.”
That’s how the team lost Saleh, DeMeco Ryans, and Mike McDaniel. It’s also why they’ve lost other assistants like Klay Kubiak over the years.
Shanahan will be prepared for Saleh’s departure this time: “So that’s something you’ve got to be prepared for in this league. We are at offense. We are in defense. You’ve got to be on special teams. And it’s something everyone has got to deal with.”
Last season, after the 49ers hired Nick Sorensen as their defensive coordinator, they also brought in Brandon Staley. We put two and two together, thinking Staley would be Sorensen’s successor. Staley is a defensive coordinator, but in New Orleans, not San Francisco.
Gus Bradley, Saleh’s mentor and coach who has been a coordinator in the league for a dozen years and a head coach for another four, is the not-so-under-the-radar successor on the coaching staff this offseason.
When Shanahan discussed looking for a special teams coordinator, he said, “I want somebody familiar with building game plans.” You’d think that if he values experience in one area, he’d feel the same about defense. Well, Bradley has about as much experience as you could imagine.
It’ll be interesting to see if Bradley, who has long been a heavy Cover 3 coach who doesn’t blitz, puts his fingerprints on the defense. If so, and it’s successful, or even if Shanahan likes the way Bradley runs meetings, interacts with the players, etc., then there’s a good chance the succession plan for Saleh is already on the roster.