Buccaneers Loss Could Be 49ers Gain
The Jacksonville Jaguars are zeroing in on their next head coach after the firing of Doug Pederson earlier this month. What does that have to do with the 49ers? Or the Buccaneers? Maybe everything.
The San Francisco 49ers are looking for their next defensive coordinator after a one-year Nick Sorensen era came to an end. And they’d like to bring back a familiar face.
Robert Saleh served as the 49ers DC from 2017-2020 when he left to become the head coach of the New York Jets. That experiment ended badly when Saleh was fired midseason on Oct. 8.
Saleh then moved to Green Bay to be a consultant for Matt LaFleur. Now that the season has ended, Saleh is interviewing for head coaching vacancies in Las Vegas, Dallas and Jacksonville. On Monday, reports surfaced that Saleh scheduled a second interview with the Jaguars. But the Niners might be ok because he doesn’t appear to be the favorite in Jacksonville.
Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times says Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen is the favorite to get that job. “The Bucs are bracing for Coen to be offered the Jaguars head coaching job, possibly as early as Wednesday when he interviews for the second time with the club,” wrote Stroud. “But there’s a growing belief that it’s Coen’s job to lose. Not only were the Jaguars impressed with the 39-year-old offensive coordinator when he interviewed virtually a week ago, he’s also most equipped to resurrect the career of quarterback Trevor Lawrence.”
After Ben Johnson was hired by the Bears, Coen became the favorite in Jacksonville as they reportedly prefer an offensive-minded coach like Coen over Saleh.
That means Saleh could still be in play for the 49ers’ defensive coordinator position. Dallas and Las Vegas are still open and possibilities for Saleh, but both teams are expected to also go with an offensive mind for their head coaching vacancies.
And that’s good news for Kyle Shanahan & Co. in San Francisco, who have struggled to find consistency on that side of the ball since Saleh left.
