San Francisco welcomed Robert Saleh back into the 49ers' defensive coordinator job this offseason after an almost four-year stint as the head coach of the New York Jets.
Saleh showed promise from 2017-18 before he brought dominance in 2019 when the 49ers made a Super Bowl appearance.
The Dearborn, Michigan, native hopes to help the 49ers recover from a disappointing 6-11 campaign last season that saw the team watch the postseason from home.
While the defensive players are understandably excited about Saleh's return, it's an offensive player - George Kittle - who spoke on The Rich Eisen Show to warn the rest of the NFL about what's coming.
“Violence is coming is what I would say. ... He’s really good at his job, and I’m really excited that we somehow convinced him to be our defensive coordinator again,” Kittle said. “He knows what he’s talking about, he’s inspiring, he gets the boys fired up, 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. You can just tell he’s ready to roll this year, and he’s gonna get the boys fired up.”
In Saleh's last season as the coordinator in San Francisco, his defense ranked No. 2 in yards allowed and No. 8 in points allowed, and the unit took a hit when he left. The 49ers were No. 8 in yards allowed and ranked No. 27 in the league in points allowed.
If Kittle's words turn out to be true, the rest of the NFC West could be in trouble.