The San Francisco 49ers have interviewed more coaches for their special teams coordinator role than defensive coordinator.
It is odd considering defensive coordinator is the more crucial position. The 49ers have only made known their interviews with former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh and Detroit Lions defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend.
Maybe the 49ers have interviewed another candidate or two on the sly, but that is unlikely. It makes no sense to keep that quiet. I think the reason the 49ers haven't interviewed anyone else is because they have already decided on bringing back Saleh.
They are just waiting for him to go through his head coaching interviews with the Las Vegas Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, and now the Dallas Cowboys. The 49ers seem to have placed all of their chips on the table on Saleh, which is a bad decision.
The 49ers need a contingency plan for Saleh. What if he ends up liking the situation with the Jaguars and they give him a hard-to-refuse offer? He spent three seasons with them from 2014 to 2016, so he's familiar with Jaguars owner Shad Khan.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones could also be sold on Saleh given his leadership qualities. In any case, Saleh can get one of these head coaching jobs. The Cowboys interview was revealed on Wednesday, so there could end up being another team that reaches out to him.
If Saleh ends up taking a head coaching position, the 49ers will look like fools for not conducting more interviews. It has been a week since they parted ways with Nick Sorensen as defensive coordinator. Instead of two coaches interviewed, the 49ers should have at least four by now.
That is why they are exhausting their efforts on special teams coordinator. They are are currently placing their defensive coordinator search on hold while Saleh considers his options. Once Saleh decides, they will either move on with him or without him and continue their search.
The issue is that they shouldn't be waiting. They need to start slimming down candidates now so that they don't have to wait for Saleh. What if Saleh makes his decision in a week from now? The candidates for defensive coordinator will most likely be slimmer.
The 49ers better be right about Saleh coming back. That's likely what they are thinking so they aren't looking at anyone else as defensive coordinator. Not having a contingency plan will only delay their hiring process and lose out on other candidates.
