Santa Clara, Calif. - On the surface, the San Francisco 49ers' acquisition of Bryce Huff on the defensive end was a vote of confidence that he could at least approximate his in 2023, when he was one of the league's most effective fringe stormtroopers.

However, not only that, it is the latest and perhaps the biggest sign that this is the offseason for defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.

While the 49ers waved goodbye to beloved defensive veterans like cornerback Charvarius Ward, defenders Dre Greenlaw and Safety Talanoa Hufanga, they bet so much that they could fill the vacant based on the strength of Saleh's plan and his ability to get the most players.

This is a process from the Saleh's fingerprints all come with a draft class. Niners has placed the top five draft picks on the defenders for the first time since 1981. They added another draft pick in the fifth round, bringing the total to 6, which is entirely possible to start immediately or play a key role.

The chance to rebuild San Francisco’s defense in his image is one of the reasons Saleh didn’t consider too much about other destinations as a coordinator, as it’s clear he won’t get another head coaching job this cycle.

Saleh's familiarity with coach Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers from his first stint in the job (2017-20) combined with the team's willingness to let him have a significant say in retooling a defense that finished 29th in points per game allowed (25.6), 20th in defendive efficiency (47.32) and 26th in QBR allowed (58.5) -- among a number of other ugly stats for the unit -- made it an easy choice.

"It's another reason to get back is exciting," Saleh said in early May. "This organization did a great job in collaboration when looking for players. We were very real and still had to follow a process. The board came to our path from a defensive perspective. On the offense, there were a lot of offenses who were higher and higher offenses that the offense was excited and started excitedly, but they stood out on the board and I stood in the room, I stood in the room, I got one, I used to be a guy.

It turns out that Saleh has another guy he has followed during the offseason: Huff. Sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter that the deal will be a mid-round pick and will be completed after June 1, with a discussion of the implementation that began in February but was dragged out for economic reasons.

Huff enjoyed the best year of his career at Saleh when he was head coach of the New York Jets. According to the next NFL statistics, Hoff has 10 sacks and a 21.8% pressure rate in 2023, which is the best in the NFL. The production went from New York to Hoff when he became a free agent when he signed a three-year, $51 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Without Saleh's guidance and plans, Huff never got on track in Philadelphia. He had only 2.5 sacks and 13 tackles in six games, dealing with a wrist injury in the final half of the season.

After rescheduling Saleh, who fired in October, Ninas welcomed him from hiring special team coordinator Brant Boyer, a special team coordinator who worked for Saleh in New York to the heavier draft of the Department of Defense to the nearest defender and special team Chazz Chazz Surtatt.

Hoff may represent Saleh’s most important reclamation project. Niners have been looking for a dominant team partner for Nick Bosa as Dee Ford’s career derailed in 2020 due to a back injury. Meanwhile, they passed a lot of options and used the 11th pick in the draft of End Mykel Williams.

But if Saleh can bring Huff closer to his 2023 level, Niners will have the option to cause huge damage. Even if the Huff isn't every drop option on the edge, it's a package for the third package, which includes Huff and Bosa on the edge, with plenty of passing sprint potential inside the Williams and Yetur Gross Matos.

It has been a consistent talent to gain the most from Saleh’s career, whether in the draft or in Saleh’s career.

In his first game in San Francisco, he was on how to make the most of the third and fifth round picks like defenders Fred Warner and Greenlaw. They became one of the best guard duos in the league. In New York, Saleh got similar jumps from lesser-known players, such as cornerback DJ Reed (Fifth round) and guard Quincy Williams (Fthird round).

Now, with most of the heavy rosters completed, Saleh and his staff can take many new players away and install them near the cornerstones of franchises such as Bosa, Warner and Corner Back Deompodore Lenoir.

The Niners' hope is that Saleh doesn't need much time to get his defense back on track after the offseason, and his return is clearly the team's most important move in the offseason.

"It's nice to hear him there, how he's looking at the defense now, how he's looking at the NFL now," Shanahan said. "Things keep going. He's still the same guy and something he believes in. But it's cool to hear how he's going to develop over the past few years."