The Jets completed a second interview with DC Robert Saleh of the 49ers. After speaking to Saleh virtually on January 8, Green & White received him on a visit to One Jets Drive.
Saleh, 41, has been an NFL coach for 16 seasons and has been the 49ers CD since 2017. Despite the injuries of key players such as DL Nick Bosa and CB Richard Sherman in the 2020 season, his defense was among the top five in the NFL in yards per game (314.3), passing yards per game (207.9) and third down (35.5%). Its unit also ranked in the top 10 in run yards per game (106.4) and TDs in the red zone (57.8%).
In 2019, Saleh was named Coordinator of the Year for The Sporting News after leading NFL defense # 2 in total yards (281.8), the lowest number in the team since 1997. San Francisco also led the NFL in passing yards per game (169.2), the lowest number in the league since the Jets in 2009 (153.7). Saleh helped develop newcomer DL Nick Bosa, who won the _Associated Press _Defensive Rookie of the Year award. The 49ers was the only NFL team to have at least four players with at least 6.5 sacks in 2019 (Bosa, Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner and Dee Ford).
Saleh, who is from Dearborn, MI, and attended college at Northern Michigan University, started his coaching career at Michigan State in 2002 as a defense assistant. He served in the same role at Central Michigan in 2004 and in Georgia in 2005 before getting his first job in the NFL as a defensive intern with the Texans in 2005. He worked in Houston as a defensive quality control coach (2006-8) and coach assistant to the linebackers (2009-10). Saleh then got a job with the Seahawks in 2011 as a defensive quality control technician and won a Super Bowl there. In 2014, he took over as the linebacker coach for the Jaguars before being named 49ers DC in ’17.
The Jets conducted interviews with eight other candidates: Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy, former Bengals coach, Marvin Lewis, Panthers OC Joe Brady, Bills ‘OC Brian Daboll, Colts’ DC Matt Eberflus, Rams ‘DC Brandon Staley, Titans’ OC Arthur Smith and Saints secondary coach Aaron Glenn.
Saleh is the first candidate to do a second interview.