Who Would be the Ideal Successor to Robert Saleh?
2020 could be the last season that Robert Saleh is the 49ers' defensive coordinator.
This is something that has certainly crept in the minds of the front office and coaching staff since Saleh took his interview with the Cleveland Browns for their head coaching vacancy. It isn't a matter of IF Saleh will become a head coach, but when.
Because there is a strong chance he will be gone after 2020, the 49ers will need to start figuring out who is the ideal successor. The Niners can't give the keys to the Ferrari to just anyone. Whoever they decide to take over as defensive coordinator needs to be intelligent and adaptable.
Too many times in this league there are coaches who replace a previous successful coach and can't garner similar results. Just look at the Chicago Bears. When Vic Fangio left to become the Denver Broncos new head coach, the coach that succeeded Fangio was Chuck Pagano. Chicago's defense went from striking fear against offenses to simply getting picked apart.
The 49ers must do all they can to avoid that situation. Their defense is the team's greatest strength, so they must ensure that they maintain their level of dominance.
The only question is where do they look for an ideal successor if Saleh does leave?
San Francisco must not overthink this nor should they look too far away. They must start looking within their own coaching staff, and it is defensive line coach Kris Kocurek that should generate the highest interest.
Promoting Kocurek to defensive coordinator would be a well deserved. He is a coach that started to have his name in the spotlight toward the end of the 2019 regular season. Considering how elite the defensive line performed all season long, it is no wonder why his name was becoming mentioned by pundits.
Saleh once said in the lead-up to the NFC Championship game that Kocurek does a tremendous job of "eliminating gray areas". Doing so allows the players to just react in the correct fashion, rather than stopping to think to freeze their game play. Kocurek is definitely going to start generating popularity towards becoming a defensive coordinator in 2020.
What better way to retain his services than to allow him to succeed Saleh?
He is the ideal coach for the defense. There will not be much change, if any, by having Kocurek take over as the defensive coordinator. He'll still have his guys he can touch base with on the defensive line and maintain the system already in place.
Plus, if Saleh does end up leaving, he'll surely look to poach Kocurek away. If not Saleh, then another team might start to show intrigue in Kocurek. The work he has done with the defensive line cannot be overlooked. Yes, he's been gifted with tremendous talent. But to think he doesn't have a hand in the success of the defensive line would be asinine.
Kocurek is the ideal successor to Saleh should he leave to become a head coach. Of course, there could become new coaches on the market that the 49ers could invest in to take over the defense. But there is also the risk of letting Kocurek go and potentially having major changes in the defense.
Either way, Saleh is bound to garner more head coaching interviews following the 2020 season. If that happens, then the 49ers know they have a strong candidate to succeed him.
