SANTA CLARA — Robert Saleh is reprising his role as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator, the team announced Friday night. Saleh returns to a vastly different unit than he left behind four years ago.

The San Francisco 49ers on Friday night made a significant upgrade to their coaching staff when they officially hired defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, but that can’t be their only big defensive move this offseason.

Saleh was fired midway through this past season in New York, but the Jets had a strong defense under his tenure.

The San Francisco 49ers might have pulled off the coup of this year’s coaching cycle, bringing back Robert Saleh to coordinate their defense.

This year's crop of candidates includes coaches who check both boxes. Headlining that list is Robert Saleh, who held the 49ers coordinator post from 2017-2020 before becoming the New York Jets head coach.

The 49ers have brought back Robert Saleh, fired as Jets head coach this season, in the defensive coordinator role he held for San Francisco from 2017-2021.

Saleh was previously the 49ers defensive coordinator from 2017–20 until taking the head coaching job with the New York Jets.

The San Francisco 49ers and head coach Kyle Shanahan today announced that Robert Saleh has been named as the team’s defensive coordinator.

The 49ers already nailed the first step to bouncing back next season by hiring Robert Saleh to rebuild the defense.

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.

San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Through the first 14 games under coordinator Nick Sorensen, the defense had been inconsistent.