Before his firing in October, the Jets ranked first in yards per play, second in yards per pass attempt and opponent yards per game, and fifth in points allowed per game defensively with Saleh as head coach through the first five games of the year.
Considered one of the best defensive minds in the NFL, the Jets defense was a top-five unit in yards allowed per game under Saleh over his final two full seasons from 2022 to 2023. They were also top-four in pass defense and top-12 in points allowed in each of those two years as well.
As previously mentioned, Saleh served as defensive coordinator under Kyle Shanahan with the 49ers from 2017-2020 before accepting the head coaching job with the Jets. San Francisco finishes 13thth or better from 2018 to 2020 under Saleh, including a 2019 season where the 49ers had the No. 1 pass defense and No. 2 total defense that helped propel San Francisco to a Super Bowl appearance LIV.
2025 will be the 20thth season Saleh spent in the NFL, starting in 2005 with the Houston Texans as a defensive intern. He was promoted to defensive quality control coach and assistant linebackers coach before joining the Seattle Seahawks in 2011.
Saleh was a defensive quality control coach on Pete Carroll’s staff in 2013 when the Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII. He was the linebackers coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2014 to 2016 before leaving to take the defensive coordinator job with the 49ers in 2017.
The team completed its first head coaching interview with Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore on Friday and is scheduled to interview Seahawks assistant head coach Leslie Frazier on Monday.
For the latest news on the Cowboys head coaching search, visit our Cowboys head coaching candidate tracker here.
