There is a slight chance that Robert Saleh does not land a head coaching job this offseason, but all signs point to the San Francisco 49ers being in the market for a new defensive coordinator. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan noted he “hope[s] we don’t lose Saleh” but the team has a plan of attack if they do end up with a vacancy. Shanahan hinted at the possibility of looking at some of the Niners’ internal candidates to replace Saleh if he leaves for the Lions or another opening.
“As I keep saying, I hope I don’t lose Saleh, but we’ve got a bunch of good coaches on this staff, and we’ll decide that here,” Shanahan said after the 49ers’ Week 16 win over the Cardinals, via 49ersWebZone.com. “I guess we’ve got about eight days left, so we’ll see how it ends up.”
Saleh Is One of the Favorites to be the Next Lions Head Coach
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer is among the NFL insiders that view Saleh as the leading head coaching candidate for the Lions. Breer sees Saleh as fitting the “leader of men” description that the Lions are believed to be coveting with their next hire.
“My sense is the Lions (again) are going to go with a scouting type on the GM, and are looking for a ‘leader of men’ as head coach, which is one reason why I’m bullish on the idea of pairing 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds in Detroit,” Breer detailed.
Shanahan on Losing Assistant Coaches: ‘I Always Don’t Want to Hold People Back’
Beyond Saleh, the Niners are also in danger of losing some of their other assistant coaches who could follow the defensive coordinator to his next landing spot. Shanahan did not indicate that he would block any potential moves but hinted at the hope that Saleh would approach him first before bringing along any of the 49ers coaches.
“You’d like to respect people and I always don’t want to hold people back who, it’s very important to me that people, I didn’t want people to hold me back when I had a chance to improve my career, a chance to help my family out and go forward,” Shanahan explained, per 49ersWebZone.com. “That’s why, if you have someone who’s getting a huge opportunity, that’s something that me, [general manager] John [Lynch], I know [CEO] Jed [York], we always want to try to do what’s best for the organization, but we also want to help people out. So, we’ll look into anything, but I also know it’s once you’re a position coach, once you’re a coordinator, there’s not many moves going up.”
Saleh has opted not to discuss his future other than to emphasize that he is focused each week on the 49ers’ opponent. It has been Shanahan and others who have talked up Saleh’s qualities that make him a good head-coaching candidate. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll had Saleh on his Seattle staff for three seasons and believes it is only a matter of time before he gets his own team.
“I think the world of what he’s done,” Carroll told The Mercury News. “Robert’s going to be a head coach and deserves to be. He’s made that jump into a leadership position and shown excellence.”
If Saleh does leave the 49ers, time will tell who the team will tap as its next defensive coordinator. While Shanahan hopes not to have to make a change, the head coach has emphasized the Niners are prepared for any situation.
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