Robert Saleh returns to 49ers as defensive coordinator - ESPN

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — In search of some much-needed stability at defensive coordinator, the San Francisco 49ers are turning to a familiar face.

After a 16-day search, the Niners on Friday announced they hired Robert Saleh as defensive coordinator. Saleh, who coordinated San Francisco's defense from 2017 to 2020, is heading back to San Francisco after a three-plus-year stint as the New York Jets head coach.

Saleh's hiring comes after the Niners sought a reunion with him soon after moving on from previous coordinator Nick Sorensen. Niners coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed that Sorensen was out as defensive coordinator (though the team hopes to retain him in a different role) Jan. 8.

At that season-ending news conference, Shanahan said he was hoping to find an experienced candidate for the job and though he was open to a scheme change, he was more focused on finding someone who could problem-solve on the fly when things weren't going well.

«I want someone that kind of meshes with what I believe in, but I also believe in that you've got to fit to come up with the best thing possible that fits our situation right now,» Shanahan said Jan. 8. «So, that'll be talking about our personnel, the roster, a lot of things like that and what their plan would be with it.»

One day after that news conference, the 49ers announced that they completed an interview with Saleh, who finished last season in a consulting role for the Green Bay Packers. From there, Saleh still had interviews with the Las Vegas Raiders, Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars for their head coach positions, which left the Niners waiting for an answer.

Though Saleh didn't get much traction for the Raiders' or Cowboys' jobs, he was in the mix for the Jaguars' job, making