49ers DC Robert Saleh Tries to Stay Two Years Ahead of NFL Offenses

SANTA CLARA -- The last time Robert Saleh was the 49ers' defensive coordinator, the teams to beat in the NFC were the Rams and the Buccaneers, and their quarterbacks were Jared Goff and Tom Brady, respectively. And Saleh built his defenses to stop those offenses.

Since then, the NFC has changed dramatically.

Now, the team to beat is the Eagles, and their quarterback is Jalen Hurts, who scored nearly as many rushing touchdowns as passing touchdowns last season. Which means Saleh's defensive scheme needs to evolve.

"For sure it has evolved," Saleh said. "You're always trying to stay two years ahead of offenses. With the Jets, there were a lot of different things that we started to do. And even now, while we have some things from the Jets, there are things that have evolved over the course of the last four years here. And obviously with the league, there's stuff happening.

"So some things are the same, some things are the same from the Jets, some things are meshed, some things are coming in that are new. Like I said, we're trying to stay a couple years ahead. A lot of it may seem similar, but there's a lot of nuance that makes a difference."

During Saleh's first stint as 49ers defensive coordinator, most offenses operated out three-receiver formations and most quarterbacks were pocket passers. It was a passing league. So defenses sold out to sack the quarterback.

Now, the Eagles pass the ball less frequently that just about any other team. To beat them, you must be able to stop a zone-read rushing attack that has multiple tight ends on the field. Which means the defense must be big and stout. And that's exactly what Saleh is building.

He's at least two steps ahead of the competiton.