Now that Robert Saleh has been hired, he’ll need to figure out his staff. Brandon Staley will not be part of the plans moving forward.
Matt Maiocco from NBC Sports Bay Area gave an update Friday via his YouTube channel. While this was before the Saleh news became official, it seems like the writing is on the wall:
“I’m getting the impression that Brandon Staley, who was considered the only internal candidate for the 49ers’ defensive coordinator job— that’s what Shanahan said on the Wednesday after the season—I’m hearing that he probably will not be back with the 49ers.”
Maiocco went on to explain Robert Saleh will be the head coach of the defense. Staley was there to help former 49ers defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen gameplan, and I’d speculate it was to not let a first-time defensive coordinator get overwhelmed. Part of the reason Saleh was so coveted was because he wouldn’t need any handholding or Kyle Shanahan spending more time than necessary in meetings.
Again, I’ve brought this up before, but when he was head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, the Las Vegas Raiders laid college basketball numbers on them. The final score of the linked game above was 63-21, Raiders. Maybe he’s not much of a head coach, but given all the issues we’ve seen the 49ers have on defense with their talent, nothing like that sounds fun.
Over the next few days and weeks, we’ll see more of Saleh’s additions come into shape. I imagine most of the staff, including defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, will return. However, as KP said on Thursday, Sorensen will likely not return.
Steve Wilks was a hire I was left scratching my head on, but saw the logic. Sorensen was a hire I had to convince myself was good, primarily because of what happened to the 49ers defense under Wilks. Saleh, I’m nothing but optimistic. Yes, he might be gone in a year to be a head coach again, but hopefully, the 49ers have an understudy to work under him and prepare for that.
Plus, if Saleh does take a head coaching job in 2026, that means the 49ers’ defense was decent—or at least much better than their 2024 incarnation.
The San Francisco 49ers Coaching News has just taken an unexpected turn as it has been reported by Matt Maiocco that Brandon Staley will not be returning to the team. Staley, who served as the team’s defensive coordinator, was highly regarded for his work with the defense this past season.
This news comes as a surprise to many within the 49ers organization and the fanbase, as Staley was seen as a rising star in the coaching world. It remains to be seen who will take over the defensive coordinator duties for the team moving forward.
Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story as the 49ers look to fill this important coaching position for the upcoming season.
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49ers coaching news, Brandon Staley, Matt Maiocco, San Francisco 49ers, NFL coaching updates, Brandon Staley news, coaching changes, San Francisco football, NFL news
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