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By Justin Grasso
Contributing Sports Writer
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The San Francisco 49ers are losing their defensive coordinator, Robert Saleh, to the Tennessee Titans.
On Monday night, it was reported that Saleh was going to take on a new head coaching job, leaving the 49ers behind for the second time in his career. Based on how it went the first time, former NFL player-turned-analyst Emmanuel Acho believes the 49ers are facing a dark future without him.
“49ers, you are in gigantic trouble,” Acho said after hearing about the hiring.
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“You saw what happened to the defense when Robert Saleh went to the Jets. Kyle Shanahan was absolutely lost. Dumfounded. Defense went from the top five in football to the bottom 15 in football. San Francisco 49ers, it does not matter if Nick Bosa and Fred Warner are out there. If the defensive coach is not the right one, the season is over before it ever begins. Robert Saleh is a top-three defensive mind in football right now.”
Saleh served as the defensive coordinator of the 49ers from 2017 to 2020. He was hired to become the head coach of the Jets in 2021. He lasted four seasons in New York, getting fired just five games into his fourth year.
Saleh returned to the 49ers for the 2025 NFL season to take on the same role. While they weren’t viewed as a defensive powerhouse, dealing with many injuries throughout the year, the unit was still strong considering the circumstances. Saleh got plenty of credit for the improvement.
In Acho’s eyes, it’s a bad move all around. He believes the 49ers are in trouble without Saleh, but also thinks that the new Titans head coach will see the same flashes of struggle in Tennessee just as he did in New York. With the Titans having a young and inexperienced quarterback in place, Acho questions Saleh’s ability to get the best out of Cam Ward.
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“Unless he goes out there and gets Mike McDaniel or Kliff Kingsbury, I don’t love it,” Acho added. “I do not love defensive-minded head coaches with unproven quarterbacks.”
The Titans went 3-14 last season. Ward showed a lot of upside, but a lot of work has to be done in order to get him to live up to the No. 1 pick value. Saleh’s track record there isn’t great, but history doesn’t always repeat itself.
For more on the Titans and the NFL, head to Newsweek Sports.
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