San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is expected to hire former Jacksonville Jaguars linebackers coach Robert Saleh as his defensive coordinator, a source told ESPN.
Saleh, 38, coached the Jaguars linebackers for the past three seasons.
Saleh, who worked with Shanahan during their time with the Houston Texans, interviewed for the 49ers defensive coordinator job over the weekend.
Another source told ESPN that 49ers head-coaching candidate Tom Cable had Saleh on his list of potential assistant coaches had Cable gotten the job. Cable and Saleh worked together with the Seattle Seahawks for three seasons.
It’s only a few weeks until the 2017 free agency period begins, and there’s a question that’s been asked often: Will the Cincinnati Bengals be active this year?
@Kat_Terrell what’s your sense of how the bengals view free agency this year?
— BigDay (@rsmith0906) February 9, 2017
For those looking for a big splash in 2017, prepare to be disappointed.
The Bengals have ample cap room, but they also have three big free agents of their own to re-sign (Andrew Whitworth, Kevin Zeitler and Dre Kirkpatrick). They’re also likely in line for one of their biggest draft classes in recent memory.
Brandon LaFell finished second among Bengals receivers in receiving yards with 862 last season. Frank Victores/AP Photo
The Bengals have already been preparing as if they’ll have a large draft class. Considering they’re a team that tends to keep all or most of it’s draft picks for at least the first season or two, they simply won’t have the room for a big free agent haul.
The Bengals prefer to draft and groom their players rather than go the free agency route.
Consider the 2016 roster: According to ESPN Stats and Information, as of Jan. 30, the Bengals had 43 drafted players on their roster and an additional 15 who had been signed as an undrafted free agent out of college (the most notable of those being Pro Bowl linebacker Vontaze Burfict).
Only nine players on the roster were signed as free agents, the most notable of those being linebacker Karlos Dansby and receiver Brandon LaFell.
LaFell was given an incentive-laden one-year deal with a cap hit of $2.4 million. He ended up hitting all of his incentives and finishing second among the Bengals receivers in receiving yards (862) and first in receiving touchdowns (6). LaFell played well enough that he will likely be a priority to re-sign in 2017.
Dansby also signed a similar one-year deal and figured heavily into the linebacker rotation.
Both were low-risk, high-ward options who contributed a significant amount of playing time.
So why are the Bengals so averse to free agency? They actually aren’t — they just prefer to stay out of the frenzy of the first-day signings and instead bolster their roster with more mid-tier free agents.
The Bengals feel free agency statistics don’t favor putting a significant investment into one player that hasn’t come up through their system. They feel that some players, particularly those who have come from struggling teams, have years of bad habits coached through other systems that are hard to break.
For a team like Cincinnati, which relies heavily on continuity with its coaching staff, that’s a big sticking point.
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis once made that point to ESPN in a 2016 interview.
“In the heat of the battle, they revert to what they know, and that’s the hard thing if they’re not trained through your system,’ he said. “When you play on bad teams you think you have to do something supernatural to make a play happen. No, just do your job. If you do your job and the other 10 guys do their job, you’re going to be OK.”
Don’t expect the Bengals to deviate from that philosophy this year. Though they might go after a mid-range free agent or two, it’s unlikely they’ll be making a big splash when free agency opens in March.
Berlin – Midfield star Xabi Alonso is an injury concern for Bayern Munich ahead of its Champions League last 16 home leg against Arsenal after being hurt in Monday’s training session.
German daily Bild and broadcaster Sport1.de both reported the 35-year-old was hurt in a tackle by fellow Spain international Javi Martinez, with Bayern hosting the Gunners at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday.
In freezing weather, Alonso was left clutching his knee in clear discomfort.
Bayern said he was immediately taken to the dressing room as a precautionary measure but should be able to train again on Tuesday.
The Bavarian giants are already set to be without defender Jerome Boateng and winger Franck Ribery, who are still recovering from shoulder and thigh injuries respectively.
Arsenal is looking to break its last 16 jink having lost at this stage of the competition each of the last six seasons.
Bayern knocked Arsenal out of the Champions League in the last 16 in both 2012-13 and 2013-14.
The return leg will take place in London on March 7.
