Defensive Coordinator Robert Saleh Press Conference

Defensive Coordinator Robert Saleh

Press Conference – September 18, 2025

San Francisco 49ers

President of football operations and general manager John Lynch said this morning on KNBR that he thinks that your Jets head coaching experience has made you a better defensive coordinator. Do you agree and what did you take away from that Jets experience?

“I think anytime you get years under your belt at just coaching football or doing anything, any craft, I feel like if you’re paying attention to your weaknesses you’ll find a way to get better. So, I don’t know, I guess it’s question more for him.”

When you look at what the defense has been able to do over the first two weeks, what are some mistakes that were made maybe in the Saints game? LB Fred Warner is vocal about how there are still mistakes from the Saints game that you feel you have to do away before going up against Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray and the Cardinals?

“As the year goes on and more tape is being put on, there’s things that offenses will look for with regards to us creating and vacating different parts of our zones. Offenses are always chasing space. So, we’ve just got to be very cognizant of the space that we’re allowing to get created. From a precision standpoint, it could be a heck of a lot better. It was awesome that we closed the game with the last two drives, and we had a really good kind of in the middle, a few good series in there where we played good ball, but on a couple of those touchdown drives, we just weren’t as clean as we needed to be. The last touchdown drive was unfortunate with a couple of those penalties, but overall felt like we could have played a heck of a lot cleaner. Especially from a technique and fundamental standpoint.”

LB Dee Winters had that hit out of bounds penalty. You’re always talking about playing with a certain amount of violence, and he seems to be sort of right at that line. What’s your coaching point to somebody who’s right at that line but then has a penalty like that?

“Yeah, they’re going call that one 100-percent of the time. I’ll be curious to see if the League recognized he wasn’t touching the white quite yet. Those quarterbacks are starting to show a tendency of turning it upfield into lowering shoulders too. So, there’s a little bit of a conflict for these defensive players when it gets to the sideline with the quarterback. But, they’re the ones out there shooting bullets. They’ve also got to protect themselves but also be smart in those situations when it looks obvious that the quarterback is running out of bounds, just let it go. And just know the history of the quarterback. If he’s the type of quarterback that’s going to try to turn it upfield and try to gain an extra couple of yards, go do what you need to do. I hope I’m answering your question, but at the same time, it is tough because of what these running quarterbacks are starting to do on those sidelines.”

Are you talking about the Kanss City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes play?

“It’s just throughout the League. All of them. Shoot, I think Patrick, a couple of years ago tiptoed up the line when people thought he was going to go out of bounds. Then just my experience with [Buffalo Bills QB] Josh Allen and all those guys, these quarterbacks are big, they’re powerful, they’re fast, they’re elusive and they’re using that role to their advantage.”

You have one of those guys this week. Do your guys have to be a little bit more conscious of that?

“Yeah, he’s for sure, he’s a late slider. But he is fast, he’s elusive. He’s a jitterbug. He is also a passer first. He’s not just looking to run. He is looking to buy some time to be able to put the ball in the air, but he’s as challenging as it gets.”

CB Renardo Green has given up a couple long catches down the field in the first two games. What do you see from him in particular?

“Renardo is competing his butt off. The double move was unfortunate and with every single one of them he’s learning something. His leverage could have been a heck of a lot better from an alignment standpoint on that first one against the Saints and ended the route at the line of scrimmage. But Renardo, people have got to remember he’s just a second-year kid, second-year young man, and he’s learning and getting better every single week. Loved his energy this week. He always bounces back. I don’t feel like it phases him with the way he communicates. He lines up, he goes back, he competes, and that’s the one thing you want to see is that if a guy gets beat, he’s still up there in press and ready to go play and compete again and he’s not just bailing trying to stay on top. So, Renardo’s head is in a good spot, he’s getting better and he’ll continue to compete.”

You’re facing Arizona Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. this weekend. What kind of challenges does he present?

“A big challenge. Marvin’s a big, strong, powerful receiver. He’s got great hands. He’s a total package. So, with all our corners, he aligns in the slot, so it’s going to be a challenge for [CB] Upton [Stout]. But, he definitely presents a challenge.”

When you first saw DL Bryce Huff, how long did it take for you to realize he had a very unique, elite, specific quality as far as his get-off?

“Are you talking about when we got to the Jets? So, he was a rookie the year prior, in ‘21 and he was playing linebacker, but it was a three-four scheme. So, it was a little bit different than what we do. To give you background, I want to say we told him that if he was going to make it, it was going to be as a D-End. I want to say he put on almost 25 pounds of just straight muscle. Like his weight room stuff, his lower half strength and all that stuff was ridiculous in that offseason. He just packed on pounds. I was joking with him during the preseason this year when he wasn’t dressed in the fourth quarter, I was like, ‘man, remember in ‘23 you were still the fourth quarter D-End?’ We knew what we had, but we also drafted a couple of first rounders and in ‘23 he really took off and owned that role and ended up with the double-digit sacks. Which is kudos to him. He never got down on himself. He never got discouraged with people who were being placed in front of him. He just kept plugging and he’s gotten better and better and he’s even better now.”

He’s talked about how he got paid by the Eagles, but for a lot of his career, he really hasn’t felt the love. You mentioned drafting a couple first-round guys. He thought he might get traded while he is having the 10-sack season. Obviously, you traded for him for a reason, but was there a conscious effort to say, “Hey, we love you here, we’re embracing you?”

“Oh, he knows. I begged him not to go to Philly the first time (laughter). But money talks. I’d like to think that he feels appreciated out here. Even if he wasn’t appreciated back out on the East Coast and two different locations, he’s definitely appreciated here. I’ve said it before, I’ve always said that those guys like [DL Nick] Bosa, the [Green Bay Packers DE] Micah Parsons of the world, all those great edge rushers, I put Huff up there with all of them. The guy produces at a very high level. They’re like closers of baseball, you know, you’ve got a bunch of guys standing in the outfield and the infield just watching this pitcher pitch. And he lights it up. But he’s a special talent and a talent that’s very precious in this League.”

In your first stint here with Warner, I remember a few times you had that push and pull of like, how much can I put on his plate? How much can I not? When you came back here this time, did you have conversations with him? How’d you kind of go about what you feel comfortable giving him now that he’s so much further advanced?

“Well, the communication is constant. Just through the first couple of weeks of game planning and just pulling him in and just having side conversations on where we’re at as a defense, what does he like, what he doesn’t like, what he thinks we can execute. So, it’s just constant dialogue. He’s so much further advanced. He’s turned into a coach on the field.”

Did DL Mykel Williams make a quantum leap in terms of performance this week or was he just more spectacular on a few more plays?

“That’s a fair question. There’s going to be ups and downs. I thought last week was fantastic for him. On run downs, he set edges, knocked people back. He created the mismatch that we need versus the tight end. On third down, he did a really good job collapsing the pocket and really giving those edge guys a chance to rush the passer. When you’ve got pocket push the way you do, that’s where that speed comes to life where that quarterback just can’t step up. He’s got to stay, hit his back foot and stay there if he feels that pressure. I felt like Mykel was doing that all game. Same thing with [DL] Yetur [Gross-Matos] and the rest of them. But like I said, there’s going to be roller coasters. Some games will be great, some games won’t. But even in the games that don’t pop off the tape, he’s still going to find ways to get better and eventually it’s just going to be consistent dominance.”

Is there anything S Marques Sigle could have done differently or better on that touchdown catch to New Orleans Saints TE Juwan Johnson or on his coverage in general?

“Yeah, no, credit to them. I thought [New Orleans Saints QB] Spencer Rattler put that ball in a perfect spot. Obviously, it’s a big, big tight end. I looked at that from a coverage standpoint. That’s a tip your cap to them. Obviously, you can go chest to chest and try to get in there, but wish I put us in a better coverage.”