Raheem Morris is making his way back to the NFC West.
The 49ers have reportedly brought on the former Falcons head coach as their defensive coordinator, taking over for Robert Saleh, who left this offseason for the Titans’ head coach position.
This will be Morris’ second time in the NFC West; he previously held the defensive coordinator role for the Rams for three seasons and was part of their Super Bowl-winning team in February 2022.
After the 2023 season, Morris will exit the Rams to take the position in San Francisco. He has some experience leading the Falcons, as he stepped in on an interim basis after Dan Quinn was dismissed in 2020.
Although Morris beat out notable names like Bill Belichick for the Falcons job, his record was 16-18 during his two seasons, and the team missed the playoffs in both years.
On January 4, just hours after the Falcons’ final game, the team decided to relieve Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot of their duties.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank made a statement noting the difficult decision, expressing appreciation for both Morris and Fontenot. He emphasized the need for new leadership moving forward because current results weren’t aligning with expectations.
Brian Daboll, formerly with the Giants, has taken over as head coach in Atlanta.
Now, Morris faces the challenge of leading a 49ers defense in 2025 that is currently dealing with injuries to key players like Nick Bosa and Fred Warner.
As for Saleh, he was in his second run with the 49ers after a stint with the Jets. He was recently named head coach of the Titans, and they have yet to appoint a new defensive coordinator.
