Robert Saleh is a rookie head coach who will work with a rookie quarterback this season, but that will be anything but a new experience for him.
Although he’s been a defensive coach his entire career, Saleh has been on staffs with rookie quarterbacks twice since 2011. Saleh was a defensive quality control coach in Seattle when the Seahawks drafted Russell Wilson in the third round of the 2011 draft. He then joined the Jaguars as their linebackers coach in 2014 when they drafted Blake Bortles third overall.
Saleh saw how to successfully build around a rookie – with Wilson in Seattle – and how not to do it – with Bortles in Jacksonville – before he joined the 49ers. He can apply that knowledge to the Jets, who will undoubtedly pick a quarterback with the second overall selection in the 2021 NFL draft.
There are a lot of potential problems involved with relying on a rookie quarterback to run your offense, but Saleh doesn’t seem too concerned based on his assessment of the prospects, the team and his experience.
“I don’t think there’s risk,” Saleh said, according to The New York Daily News’ DJ Bien-Aime. “It still comes down to having a good football team and building a good roster around everybody.”
Saleh touched on his time in Seattle and Jacksonville and how the decisions by the team affected their respective rookie quarterbacks. The Seahawks built an offense that aided Wilson’s development – primarily around a formidable rushing attack – and top-tier defense to alleviate pressure. That translated to almost-instant success.
The Jaguars, meanwhile, didn’t do much to surround Bortles with talent and relied on him too much as a passer early on. It wasn’t until the Jaguars built one of the best defenses in the league that they produced a winning season with Bortles at the helm.
“We’ve seen successes with Russell, we’ve seen things not go so well at Jacksonville,” Saleh said. “The one thing that I can attest to is from a schematic standpoint. The scheme that LaFleur is bringing in is the best scheme in the world, from an offensive standpoint, in my opinion.”
This is where the quarterback choice at No. 2 is so important. If the Jets grab a prospect who can flourish in this offense, they’ll be successful early – especially if Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich’s defense performs well early on. Zach Wilson is the favorite to land the role considering his ability and fit in the LaFleur offense, but Justin Fields wouldn’t be a bad choice either.
Either way, Saleh understands that the quarterback doesn’t make or break a team. It’s the collection of players on the roster that all work together to build a cohesive and – ideally – winning team.
“There’s rookies that are talented,” Saleh said. “The expectation is that they’re one of 53 when it’s all said and done, and they’ve all got to perform their best to create a great football team.”
