The San Francisco 49ers are used to having an elite defense.
That wasn’t the case last year with Nick Sorensen at the helm.
That’s why they chose to bring back a familiar face and convinced Robert Saleh to return to the Bay Area.
That raised the bar again for Kyle Shanahan’s defense, and George Kittle is excited to watch them return to their dominant form.
In a recent appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, the star tight end had a strong warning for the rest of the league:
> “Violence is coming, is what I would say,” Kittle [said](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBeU2Q3Cqek&t=258s).
Saleh was in charge of the team’s defense from 2017 to 2020 before taking the New York Jets’ head coaching position.
He closed out last season in a consulting role with the Green Bay Packers after being fired by the Jets early in the campaign.
Saleh also drew interest from the Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders, and Jacksonville Jaguars for their head coaching openings, but with all teams moving in different directions, he chose to return to San Francisco.
The Niners used to have one of the best defenses in the league when Saleh was at the helm, setting the tone for DeMeco Ryans, who also thrived there as his replacement.
Shanahan’s team ranked No. 29 in the league in points allowed per game (25.6) last season, so Saleh will have his work cut out for him in his first year back.
But just like all players on the roster, he will also be thirsty for vengeance after the way his days in New York ended.
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