The San Francisco 49ers officially announced that they interviewed Robert Saleh for their vacant defensive coordinator position. Over the next week or two, more names should continue to trickle in.
The Niners also interviewed another external candidate Thursday afternoon. Detroit Lions defensive back coach and pass game coordinator Deshea Townsend for their defensive coordinator position.
Kyle Shanahan mentioned that experience was a “bonus,” and Townsend more than qualifies. He played in the NFL from 1998 to 2010. The next year, he got right into coaching, joining the Arizona Cardinals for two seasons as an assistant defensive backs coach.
After coaching cornerbacks at Mississippi State for two years, Townsend returned to the NFL and joined the Tennessee Titans for two years. He also played for the New York Giants, Chicago Bears, and Jacksonville Jaguars, holding similar titles before joining the Lions this year.
Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is a hot commodity. Picking the brain of somebody who just worked with the defensive coordinator of the No. 1 seed in the conference isn’t the worst place to start.
Looking at the coverage data as far as disguise and silos go, the Lions were middle of the pack this season from a disguise standpoint but led the league in man coverage at 40 percent. Townsend’s last stop, the Jaguars, was fourth in man coverage rate this season.
Detroit also finished 8th in the NFL with a 36.9 percent blitz rate this season on passing downs and second when it comes to the percentage of stunts they ran. If we use where Townsend has been previously, this interview qualifies as a zag to the 49ers’ recent trends of zigging and playing it safe.
Townsend is worthy of an interview after playing and coaching under legendary Steelers defensive coordinator Dick Lebeau, who is known for exotic blitzes, and Chuck Pagano, who, like Brandon Staley, comes from the Vic Fangio coaching tree.
It’s also worth noting that both the Saleh and Townsend interviews were done virtually, per The Athletic’s Matt Barrows. They satisfy the Rooney Rule requirements.
