The Atlanta Falcons have hired Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris as their new head coach.
Morris was previously a head coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2009-11 when he got the job at age 32, replacing Jon Gruden. He went 17-31 in three seasons with Tampa Bay.
But Morris has done more than enough to get a second shot. He has spent the past three years in Los Angeles, where he won a Super Bowl in 2021. The team's roster was torn down this past offseason, and the team made virtually no notable signings in free agency.
The Rams filled out the roster with mid-to-late-round draft picks and undrafted players. The development on defense, with players like Ernest Jones, Byron Young, Kobie Turner, Cobie Durant, Derion Kendrick, Russ Yeast and Quentin Lake all getting significant snaps and playing complementary football, is impressive. This all goes back to Morris, who has gone through this entire change of players. He has worked closely on getting these players ready week to week.
Morris was with the Falcons from 2015-2020, serving in a variety of assistant roles on offense and defense. He was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2020 and served as interim head coach after Dan Quinn was fired. The Falcons went 4-7 under Morris during that time.
The Falcons interviewed 14 candidates for head coach, including Bill Belichick, Mike Vrabel and Jim Harbaugh. With only two openings remaining — Washington and Seattle — it appears unlikely Belichick will get a job this cycle, barring something unexpected.
The Rams will receive a third-round compensatory pick in each of the next two drafts for losing Morris.
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