Robert Saleh is back with the San Francisco 49ers after nearly four years as head coach of the New York Jets. He returns to the role of defensive coordinator, a position he first held in 2017 as part of Kyle Shanahan's original coaching staff.
Speaking to reporters Thursday, as the 49ers' rookies reported for minicamp, Saleh addressed his return and whether he considered taking a defensive coordinator job with another team had a head coaching opportunity not materialized—which it ultimately didn't.
"No," Saleh said. "And I mean that. I have a tremendous amount of respect for this organization, obviously, starting at the top with [owner] Jed [York]—he's phenomenal. But, Kyle, his family, [GM] John [Lynch], [EVP of football operations] Paraag [Marathe], they gave me so much.
"And during the first two years, if you think about those first two years as the coordinator in '17 and '18, it wasn't easy. And it could have been very easy for them to move on from me.
"I'm indebted to this organization, to those men, for the rest of my life. They stuck with me, and we made it happen. We did what we needed to do, and the rest is history. I'm excited about the opportunity to get a chance to do it again with them."
Saleh also admitted he's enjoying being back in a role where he can focus solely on coaching, without the broader responsibilities that accompany being a head coach.
When asked about the talent level on the current roster, Saleh noted how different the situation is compared to his first stint in San Francisco, when the team was in the early stages of a rebuild.
"From a talent standpoint, [DE Nick] Bosa's here," Saleh said. "You've got, obviously, [LB] Fred [Warner], [CB Deommodore Lenoir], [CB] Renardo [Green]. There's a lot of really good talent on this defense, so it's not nearly what '17 was."
As for the team's incoming rookies, Saleh outlined what he hopes to see from them during the minicamp, which runs through Saturday.
"Just come out and compete," Saleh said. "No expectations right now. They've got a long way to go with regards to understanding what we do. One, the standard at which we play, and the style of ball that we expect them to play.
"And then, on top of that, you've got the scheme and understanding all the nuances that we're going to ask out of them. So, they've got OTAS (organized team activities, which begin on May 27), training camp, and it's going to be a crash course. And if any of them are worthy, they'll be on the field Week 1."
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