He'd never admit it publicly, but one has to figure defensive coordinator Robert Saleh wished the San Francisco 49ers were a bit more aggressive at the NFL trade deadline.
Granted, the Niners pulled off a pre-Week 9 move with the New England Patriots, grabbing depth pass-rusher Keion White. But White's presence is nowhere near enough to make up for season-ending losses of defensive ends Nick Bosa and now Mykel Williams to ACL tears.
If those setbacks weren't bad enough, San Francisco has to navigate the rest of 2025 without All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner and his broken ankle.
Saleh would have clearly loved it if general manager John Lynch and Co. had done more and, perhaps, somehow pulled off a trade with his former employer, the New York Jets, for the likes of a pass-rushing specialist like Jermaine Johnson or even somehow outbid the Dallas Cowboys for Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.
Yet the 49ers were never able to take advantage of Gang Green's fire sale, nor were they able to go after another defensive end to make up for Saleh's major shortages there.
As a result, Saleh will have to manage with what he's got.
Robert Saleh lost the NFL trade deadline
It made sense why the Niners weren't overly aggressive at the deadline. After all, losses of stars like Bosa and Warner meant Saleh's defense is never going to be good enough to compete deep into the postseason. So, any plans for a would-be trade have to focus more on 2026 than the rest of this season.
Still, at 6-3, Saleh had to hope San Francisco gave him at least a few more pieces with which to work.
Instead, as broken down by Bleacher Report's Moe Moton and Kristopher Knox, the coordinator is a clear loser in this case:
"While the 49ers did land White, they missed out on Sauce Gardner, who played for defensive coordinator Robert Saleh in New York.
It's unclear whether the 49ers had any real interest in Gardner, but they were interested in Cincinnati defenders like Logan Wilson, Trey Hendrickson and Cam Taylor-Britt, according to The Athletic's Dianna Russini.
None of those players made their way to San Francisco, either."
Now, Saleh has already done more with less, previously. Back in 2020, the final year of his first stint as 49ers coordinator, a banged-up defense still garnered respect (remember, Kerry Hyder led the Niners in sacks that year), which led to getting the head-coaching gig with the Jets the following offseason.
However, if Saleh was aiming to put his coaching stock back at a major high, he would have preferred if San Francisco gave him a few more valuable pieces to his dwindling arsenal of tools.
The 49ers didn't, though, and the coordinator is left trying to make the most out of the leftovers.