Last season, the San Francisco 49ers had the fourth-worst defense in the league, surrendering 25.6 points per game to their opponents, which was only better than the Tennessee Titans (27.1), Dallas Cowboys (27.5) and Carolina Panthers (31.4).
While injuries certainly played a factor in San Francisco’s poor performance on that side of the ball, the team ultimately decided to place a fair share of the blame on defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen, who had been promoted to the position after the team fired Steve Wilks the year prior.
With Sorensen out, the 49ers decided to bring back an old friend, hiring former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh, who previously served as San Francisco’s defensive coordinator from 2017-20.
Saleh’s return has many people in the building excited, including those on the other side of the ball, such as tight end George Kittle.
“He’s really good at his job, and I’m really excited that we somehow convinced him to be our defensive coordinator again,” Kittle told Rich Eisen during a recent appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show” last week. “And he just happens to also be really, really smart. So, I’m pumped to have him back in the building, just hanging out with him a little bit, talking about stuff.”
Kittle and Saleh were both in the building during the latter’s four years as defensive coordinator before, so he knows exactly what fans and opposing offenses can expect.
“Violence is coming, is what I would say,” Kittle said.
Watching the six-time Pro Bowler in the blocking game, it’s clear that he loves the physicality and violence that comes with playing the sport. While the 49ers had players capable of playing that way, they haven’t always shown it. Now, with Saleh in charge, Kittle thinks they will.
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