Kyle Shanahan Reveals 'Obvious' Candidate to Replace Robert Saleh as 49ers DC After Titans Contract

The San Francisco 49ers are in the market for a new defensive coordinator after Robert Saleh left the team to become the Tennessee Titans' new head coach.

On Wednesday, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that assistant head coach Gus Bradley is the "obvious" candidate to replace Saleh.

"I'm going to say it's a real wide net but Gus is the obvious one to everyone and is to us too," Shanahan said, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk.

"Gus would be the main internal candidate. We feel fortunate to get Gus and great about that. We are going to go through the whole process. There's requirements we have to do and stuff that we want to do, also. So, hopefully, we can get it settled sooner than later."

Bradley coached college ball at North Dakota State (1990-1991, 1996-2005) and Fort Lewis College (1992-1995) before joining the NFL in 2006 as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' linebackers coach (2006-2008).

He's been a defensive coordinator for four teams in the Seattle Seahawks (2009-2012), Los Angeles Chargers (2017-2020), Las Vegas Raiders (2021) and Indianapolis Colts (2022-2024). Bradley was also the Jacksonville Jaguars' head coach from 2013-2016. His teams finished 14-48.

Bradley has enjoyed great success at times as a DC, like when the 2012 Seahawks allowed the fewest points per game. The 2017 Los Angeles Chargers also sported the No. 3 scoring defense. Bradley has seen some struggles as well, as the Indianapolis Colts parted ways with him after a tough 2024 season (No. 24 in scoring, No. 22 in yards per play).

However, he has an impressive resume, and Shanahan clearly thinks highly of him. At this juncture, he's the clear leader in the clubhouse to lead San Francisco's defense in 2026.