Raheem Morris HC, DC Meetings Expected

Raheem Morris guided the Falcons to back-to-back eight-win seasons. While that may not sound particularly impressive, the Falcons had won seven or fewer contests each year from 2018-23. But Morris received a pink slip Sunday night, joining GM Terry Fontenot in being removed from his position.

As could be expected, Morris should not be out of work for long. Teams in search of a head coach are expected to show interest, with The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reporting Morris is likely to be part of this year’s HC carousel. If Morris is unable to complete an immediate bounce-back bid, Russini adds DC interest is expected to emerge.

The Falcons gave Morris less time than Arthur Smith despite the latter going 7-10 in each of his first two seasons; Smith went 7-10 in Year 3 before being fired. Morris, however, did have much of the 2020 season to prove himself in Atlanta. His first stint with the team concluded with an appointment as Falcons interim HC following Dan Quinn‘s ouster. Overall, the former Buccaneers and Falcons HC is 37-56 as a head coach. That record can mostly be traced to three- and four-win seasons in Tampa (2009, ’11).

Morris, 49, had been expected to survive. The Falcons finished the season on a four-game win streak. His postgame hug with Arthur Blank became quite awkward soon after; the owner fired he and Fontenot, who had been on as GM for five years. The Falcons had hired a consulting firm, and Matt Ryan is now in play for a central role in the franchise’s front office. These developments left Morris out of the picture.

Prior to returning to Atlanta, Morris had won a Super Bowl as Rams DC. At the controls when the Rams downed the Bengals to claim their first title in 22 years, Morris burnished his candidacy by helping the team transition amid a 2023 retooling effort. Morris’ defensive rankings in Los Angeles do not match those of Chris Shula or Brandon Staley, with the unit topping out at 15th in scoring during his tenure, but he did help steer a Falcons turnaround this year. Having major pass-rushing issues for most of the past decade-plus, the Falcons revitalized that area — after first-round picks of Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. — and finished with 57. Only the Broncos (68) produced more this season.

While Morris receiving a third chance after only producing one winning season in five full-time HC years may be a stretch, it would surprise if he did not at least land a DC opportunity this year. The Rams could potentially come calling, should Shula follow Morris and Staley as a Sean McVay DC to become a head coach.