Robert Saleh is back in the place where he truly made a name for himself as one of the best defensive coaches in the NFL.
The San Francisco 49ers announced on Friday night that they have hired Saleh as their defensive coordinator, reuniting with the coach who previously spent four years in that role from 2017-2020.
Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams are surely aware of this move made by their biggest rival, especially considering it was Saleh’s defenses that helped shut down the Rams in his final two seasons in San Francisco. McVay said in 2020 that Saleh is someone he’s “always had a huge amount of respect for,” frequently complimenting him during their tenures together in the NFC West.
He also said “Saleh is as good a coordinator as there is” before a Rams-49ers matchup in Oct. 2019.
Though the Rams went 3-1 in their first four games against the 49ers when Saleh was the defensive coordinator, they lost four straight at the end of his tenure from 2019-2020. In three of those four games, the 49ers held the Rams to 20 points or fewer, including a 20-7 beatdown in 2019 when the Rams managed just 157 total yards.
The good news is San Francisco doesn’t have close to the personnel it had back then. The defense isn’t nearly as talented as it was in 2019 and 2020, particularly along the defensive line. And not to mention, Matthew Stafford never faced those Saleh-led defenses during those four years. It was always Jared Goff.
The Rams aren’t going to fret Saleh being back, but his return could help San Francisco turn things around on that side of the ball.