Rams' Sean McVay vs. 49ers' Robert Saleh: Must-Watch TV

The 49ers, since 2019, have had some top defenses, but the best were run under Robert Saleh. The star power was great, but the impressive part was the development of those stars. While the defensive line was stacked with first-round picks, the 49ers' development of Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, Jimmie Ward, Talanoa Hufunga, and others had a long-term beneficial impact on the franchise, an impact not felt in some time.

Thus, Saleh's revamped defense is a point of concern as ESPN's Nick Wagoner spoke about the challenges awaiting the 49ers' defensive coordinator.

"San Francisco said goodbye to its coordinator and nine defenders who started at least one game last season," wrote Wagoner. "To try to return that group to previously dominant levels, the 49ers dipped into their successful past, bringing back coordinator Robert Saleh."

"Saleh has built San Francisco's defense from the ground up before, and though he has some core guys at the center of the group this time, the rebuild won't be easy."

"The mandatory minicamp offers a closer look at how Saleh will make the pieces, including three potential rookie starters on the defensive line, fit into a scheme he said has evolved since 2020 when he was last San Francisco's coordinator."

On the flip side, Sean McVay has revamped his offense. Davante Adams may be the star of the show, but it's the one-two punch of Kyren Williams and Jarquez Hunter that could make all the difference. The Rams retained Tutu Atwell and his speed, while they may have even better replacements for Demarcus Robinson and Tyler Johnson in Jordan Whittington and Konata Mumpfield.

Both teams have way too much talent to be decided on paper. This will be a true chess match. While McVay and Saleh are playcallers, they're not puppet masters, and the ability for Mathew Stafford and Fred Warner to audible may be the difference in their two matchups this season.

This is going to be football heaven.