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On Feb. 1, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported, citing a source, that the San Francisco 49ers are hiring former Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris to be their defensive coordinator. Morris was one of three candidates that San Francisco spoke to over their opening.
NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco reported on Jan. 29, citing a source, that the 49ers had interviewed Morris, Joe Woods, and Gus Bradley for their vacant defensive coordinator position.
While Morris got the job, there was speculation whether the Niners would consider going after Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who is under contract but could want out after not getting the head coach job.
Nonetheless, Nick Wagoner of ESPN reported on Feb. 1 that San Francisco was among the teams interested in Schwartz. However, Wagoner added that the 49ers “didn’t get the sense from anyone that he’d shake loose from Cleveland. Too much uncertainty there to ignore a strong, well liked candidate available now.”
49ers Receive Praise for Raheem Morris Decision
In the end, the Niners chose Morris, a familiar face for Kyle Shanahan. The connection and friendship with the former Falcons head coach factored into the decision, at least according to 49ers reporter Grant Cohn of On SI.
“I love this hire,” Cohn said in a Feb. 1 video on X about Morris reportedly becoming the 49ers’ defensive coordinator. “This is great news because Raheem Morris is not Gus Bradley, who would have been a freaking disaster. It seems like the Niners are really considering hiring him. Good thing that we all publicly shamed them into not doing that.
“Would I have liked them to hire Jim Schwartz? It would have been cool. He runs the wide nine, and he’s older than Kyle Shanahan. He’s not his friend. That would have been an interesting dynamic, but that was never going to happen. Kyle likes working with his friends. We all do. Kyle is great friends with Raheem Morris.”
Will Raheem Morris Have Full Control of the Defense?
Moreover, Cohn ponders whether 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan will allow Morris to have full control of the defense and let him run his scheme. Nonetheless, Cohn also states that Shanahan could want Morris to run the defensive scheme he wants and set him up to fail.
“What’s so intriguing about this hire is that he doesn’t run the Wide 9, he’s a 3-4 guy,” Cohn added. “So, does this mean that Kyle Shanahan has finally grown and taken his hands off the defense and is going to turn it over to Raheem Morris to evolve it and change it how he sees fit? Because this defense is stale. The Wide 9 is stale. It’s overdue for them to make a change.
“Or does this mean they’re going to make the Steve Wilks mistake again and bring in Raheem Morris and not let him bring any position coaches of his own and force him to run the Wide 9 and set him up for failure? What are they going to do? I have no idea, but I really hope they let him run his defense, because they’re hiring him for his expertise, and he has a lot of.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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