Robert Saleh cannot personally create turnovers, rush the passer or stop the run. His return as the 49ers’ D-coordinator is no guarantee of success.

Saleh, who was fired in October as the New York Jets head coach five games into his fourth season, generated interest on the head-coaching front and was seen as one of the frontrunners for the Jacksonville Jaguars job. He also interviewed with the Las Vegas Raiders and Dallas Cowboys.

With Robert Saleh back as the defensive coordinator, he could aid the 49ers in recruiting free agents from the Jets. 23 players on the Jets are set to become fr

Later on Thursday, then-Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen had a change of heart, the Jacksonville Jaguars quickly moved to hire him as head coach and Saleh, who told Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch that he’d return to the 49ers if he didn’t get a head-coaching job, stayed true to his promise.

The San Francisco 49ers have long established their strong defensive identity, and with Robert Saleh back at the helm

Robert Saleh’s encore as 49ers defensive coordinator took on more likelihood as the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Las Vegas Raiders hired others to fill their head coach vacancies.

The San Francisco 49ers are bringing back Robert Saleh for a second stint as defensive coordinator after a failed tenure as head coach of the New York Jets.

Robert Saleh left the Jacksonville Jaguars years ago to become the 49ers defensive coordinator. It appears he's returning to that job in the Bay Area.

The San Francisco 49ers' prospects on defense for the 2025 season already seem a fair bit brighter following the return of Robert Saleh of coordinator, but it will take several reinforcements on the personnel side for this group to return to the ranks of the best in the NFL next season.