Saleh was hired as head coach Kyle Shanahan’s first defensive coordinator in 2017 and struggled the first two seasons. But after the team drafted Bosa in 2019 and implemented the “wide nine” scheme that featured edge rushers lining up wide and focusing on getting up field, the defense took off.

Robert Saleh didn't consider taking a defensive coordinator job with any other organization once the San Francisco 49ers expressed interest. On Thursday, he shared his excitement about returning to the team—eight years after his initial stint began and four years after leaving to become the head coach of the New York Jets.

Returning defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said his loyalty to the 49ers is a product not just of the chance they initially provided him in 2017 but in how they stuck by him when his first two years as coordinator didn't go well.