Coach Kyle Shanahan did not waste much time in interviewing Robert Saleh for the team’s vacant defensive coordinator position.
Saleh, whom the New York Jets fired as head coach early in the season, was interviewed on Thursday for the job.
The position became open when Shanahan determined this week that Nick Sorensen would not be back for a second season as 49ers defensive coordinator.
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The 49ers also interviewed Deshea Townsend, the Detroit Lions’ defensive passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach, the team announced.
Both Saleh and Townsend took part in virtual interviews.
Saleh, 45, is considered a candidate for at least two head-coaching openings with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders.
Saleh served as 49ers defensive coordinator for the first four seasons of Shanahan's head-coaching tenure (2017-2020).
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He served three full seasons as Jets head coach and was fired after the team got off to a 2-3 record this season. Saleh’s record with the Jets was 20-26.
Townsend, 49, is the Lions’ top defensive assistant under coordinator Aaron Glenn. This is his first season with the Lions, the top seed in the NFC playoffs. He has 25 seasons of combined NFL playing and coaching experience. He spent the 2022 and ’23 seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars in the same role he currently holds with the Lions.
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