San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is impressed with rookie Marques Sigle. His stock continues to rise ahead of the season opener against NFC West rivals, the Seattle Seahawks.

Saleh has previously compared the rookie to 49ers veteran Jimmie Ward, an established player from their championship-contending days.

Jul 23, 2025; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh (left) watches his players drill during the first day of training camp at SAP Performance Facility. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images / D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

The fifth-round pick suffered a knee injury in the preseason opener against the Denver Broncos, but fortunately, no serious injury occurred.

He completed 99 defensive snaps across the three preseason games. These performances have even led to head coach Kyle Shanahan suggesting he could feature in the season opener.

Sigle’s qualities are evident, but Saleh explained to the media on Thursday which qualities caught his attention in recent days.

“Communication,” he began. “Just being on your job, being able to communicate on the sideline when something happens, to have the recall to have those conversations. It happened at practice today, we were talking about a route on how to play a certain route concept.

“He basically cut me off to talk about what his technique was, what he could have done better, where he was in the play, and you come back in and you watch the play really quick and it’s like ‘alright,’ he’s recalling it, he’s understanding it, he’s understands where his body’s at.

“So, there’s going to be a lot of those moments where he is like, ‘man, I could have.’ We all trust that if he’s in the same situation he was in practiced today that he’ll be in the position that he knows he should have been in. They’re all really cool in that regard.”

Sigle could be a big prospect

August 9, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers safety Marques Sigle (36) during the second quarter against the Denver Broncos at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Following Talanoa Hufanga’s departure to the Denver Broncos, the 49ers may have found a rookie in Sigle who could surpass his contributions.

As much as the Faithful loved Hufanga’s contributions when he was healthy, the time was right to move on.

Sigle’s statistics in the preseason are certainly encouraging. If the 49ers can maximize Sigle’s potential, he and sophomore safety Malik Mustapha offer important depth in this position.

This is why it’s crucial to put the rookie in as a starter from Week 1. Mustapha will miss at least the first four weeks due to a torn ACL injury, but getting the rookie up to speed will lay the foundation for an impressive partnership.

The 49ers’ decision to bring back Saleh should only improve Sigle’s development in his early years.