5 Options to Replace Saleh if he Accepts a Head Coaching Job
In addition to the many free agents they must re-sign, the 49ers will likely lose defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who’s more than qualified for a head coach opening.
It’s impossible to completely replace Saleh, who is one of the best defensive minds in the NFL.
Here are five potential replacements (plus a bonus) to consider if/when Saleh leaves:
DeMeco Ryans
Fourth-year 49ers coach, and 10-year NFL linebacker, DeMeco Ryans, is the best in-house replacement.
Ryans was a rookie of the year and All-Pro linebacker for the Texans while Saleh worked his way up Houston’s defensive staff from 2005 to 2010.
He was the defensive quality control coach his first year in Santa Clara (2017), before assuming his current job for the past three seasons.
Ryans’ advantages are that he knows Saleh’s system, has a history of coaching up mid-round draft picks into legitimate contributors and exudes similar motivational energy as Saleh.
Since 2018, Fred Warner has gone from Reuben Foster’s second-fiddle to NFL elite.
Dre Greenlaw and Azeez Al-Shaair made improvements on their rookie seasons, while versatile reserves Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles and Marcell Harris have shown flashes at linebacker.
The drawback to Ryans would be his lack of experience. He’s never been a defensive coordinator.
But that didn’t bother head coach Kyle Shanahan when he hired Saleh from being the Jacksonville linebackers coach.
“It’s only a matter of time before DeMeco is a coordinator in this league,” Shanahan told the media on Monday.
If the 49ers don’t promote Ryans, another team will.
Gus Bradley
The Chargers fired head coach Anthony Lynn on Monday.
Their new head coach would likely want to pick his own coordinators. That would open up current defensive coordinator Gus Bradley for other jobs.
Saleh was Bradley’s linebackers coach from 2014-16. Their defenses are similar and the 49ers would not have to alter their personnel much.
Bradley’s best defense was the 2012 Seattle team led by Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, and Bobby Wagner.
He turned that into a head coaching job with Jacksonville, but was fired in 2016 before really getting time to utilize his young stars Jalen Ramsey, Myles Jack, Dante Fowler and Yannick Ngakoue.
Once done in Jacksonville, Bradley reportedly had the choice between the 49ers and Chargers, but opted to remain in the AFC.
The Chargers finished top-10 in fewest passing yards allowed all four of Bradley’s seasons.
Similar to Saleh, Bradley’s had to overcome countless key injuries. This includes safety Derwin James (missed 27 games the past two years) and edge rushers Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa, who have combined to miss 25 games the past three seasons.
Bradley will likely have his choice on where to coach next season.
Raheem Morris
Atlanta interim head coach Raheem Morris is the best experienced option on the market.
He’s been both a defensive coordinator and a head coach, he’s young (44 years old) and runs a similar system.
The problem is that he upgraded Atlanta’s miserable season, and might be the leading candidate to become their full time head coach.
The Falcons defense was bad this year, but was much improved once Morris took over for the fired Dan Quinn.
Atlanta’s secondary was both ineffective, and injured, and teams took advantage of that.
Yet, once Morris took over, the defense allowed 25-plus points just three times in 11 games.
The most impressive performance was Week 16 against Kansas City. Atlanta held Patrick Mahomes to just 17 points. It would have been less, but rookie corner A.J. Terrell could not hold onto the would-be game-clinching interception. Mahomes threw a game-winning touchdown pass the next play.
Morris and Shanahan are quite familiar with each other. They were both coaches with Tampa Bay from 2004-05, Washington from 2012-13, and Atlanta from 2015-16.
Dan Quinn
This is the least-inspiring choice of the five.
Quinn’s résumé is backed by winning seasons as Seattle’s defensive coordinator (2013-14) and a Super Bowl run as Atlanta’s head coach in 2016.
But Quinn was manning a Seattle defense built by Bradley and the defensive-minded Pete Carroll.
In Atlanta, the offense severely outperformed the defense, with Shanahan and MVP Matt Ryan leading the team to the Super Bowl.
Quinn’s Atlanta defense arguably declined every season since 2017.
He was on the hot seat in 2019, but a late-season win over San Francisco gave some hope for 2020. The wheels fell off quickly. Prior to his firing, opponents averaged 32.2 points against the Falcons.
If Ryans, Morris and Bradley are unavailable, Quinn would be the most experienced option left.
Mike Rutenberg
Vish Kumaran named defensive passing game specialist Mike Rutenberg as a dark horse DC candidate on Grant Cohn’s stream last Monday.
When the 49ers weren’t handcuffed in play calling due to personnel, their pass defense was quite good.
San Francisco had the fourth-ranked pass defense in yards allowed and was eighth in passer rating. This was without the team’s best two pass-rushers.
If Ryans accompanied Saleh, Rutenberg would rival defensive line coach Kris Kocurek as the top in-house option.
Bonus: Jeff Ulbrich
Atlanta defensive coordinator, and 10-year 49ers linebacker Jeff Ulbrich, would be the most under the radar, and unlikeliest choice.
It would be shocking for Ulbrich to get the job over the previous five. He’s neither an experienced defensive coordinator, nor an in-house hire.
He does, however, know the system.
Ulbrich was an assistant special teams coach for Seattle under Bradley. After a three-year spell as UCLA’s linebackers coach, he became Atlanta’s linebackers coach in 2015 before becoming the defensive coordinator this year.
He had a brief tryout this season leading a defense, and as stated above, Atlanta improved as the year went on.
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