Robert Saleh Says 49ers Defense Needed 'Injection of Youth'

The 49ers had a bold strategy this offseason: Let all of their defensive free agents leave and replace them with rookies and second-year players.

As a result, the 49ers defense might take a step backward before it takes two forward. But last season, the 49ers had a bunch of older defensive players such as Javon Hargrave, Maliek Collins, Leonard Floyd, De'Vondre Campbell, Dre Greenlaw and Charvarius Ward. Now, the 49ers could have one of the youngest defenses in the league.

This week, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was asked about the plan to add young players to the defense. Here's what he said courtesy of the 49ers p.r. department.

Q: Could you get into a little bit of detail with the younger guys? Obviously, a few weeks since the Draft. What are you thinking of the rookies so far?

SALEH: “Excited to get them out this weekend, for sure. A really cool group of kids that are coming in, all are going to have an opportunity to compete, to get significant playing time this year. But, it's exciting to get a, just the injection of youth to go along with a lot of the veterans that we have on this football team. So, it's exciting. It's going to be fun to work with them.”

Q: This defense, obviously last year, it fell off. So, when you were here last time, you preached extreme violence, all gas, no break. Do those principles need to be reinforced here now?

SALEH: “I think it's going to come just with all the youth. There's a lot of empathy for what happened to the group last year. There was a lot of things that, through the halfway point, this defense was playing some really good football and there were a lot of injuries and the wheels kind of fell off during the last four weeks of the season. So, for the coaching staff and the players, there's a lot of empathy in terms of like, ‘Man, you're doing your best. It just didn't work out.’ But you still see it all. These guys play their butts off. I thought Nick Sorensen and those guys did a really nice job. And it's just bringing in this youth, getting them caught up to what the standard is and doing our best to uphold it.”

Q: You may lean on some rookies this year. What would you like to see from those rookies in this rookie camp?

SALEH: “Just come out and compete. 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 nuance that we're going to ask out of them. And so, they’ve got OTAs, 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 One.”

Q: Some of the guys that you picked, you drafted, drew comparisons to guys that you coached in the past. LB Nick Martin to Denver Broncos LB Dre Greenlaw, DL C.J. West to Denver Broncos DL D.J. Jones. Do you agree with those comparisons and was that sort of a conscious thing for you to look for types that have worked on this defense in the past?

SALEH: “No. You're always going to have a comparable, just to give people reference. But they are their own individual players, the way they'll be used. For me, I don't want to pigeonhole any of those guys to being, even though those are great football players, why can't they be more, you know? And so, they have a unique skillset and unique traits that probably remind people of those players. But, they are their own individuals and it's going to be exciting to see how they turn out.”

MY TAKE: By and large, Saleh handpicked these rookies on defense, which means he has a vision for each of them. If they work hard and stay healthy, they should play.