San Francisco hired Raheem Morris as its defensive coordinator, the team’s fifth coordinator in as many years, the report says.
The move reunites Morris with coach Kyle Shanahan. The two date back to their early days as young Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistants, and Shanahan had wanted to hire Morris when he took over the 49ers in 2017 but was blocked by the Atlanta Falcons, the report says. Shanahan praised Morris’ work against him with the Rams, saying Morris adapted that defense and added his own elements.
The report describes Morris as a chameleon coordinator who has led defenses with multiple philosophies, fronts and coverages and who prefers to tailor schemes to fit players rather than force them into rigid roles. Morris emphasized the need for variety, saying a defense must have multiplicity up front and in the back end so it can deploy different looks when desired.
The 49ers present a mixed defensive profile entering Morris’ tenure, per the report. San Francisco finished 13th in scoring defense but ranked 25th in defensive efficiency, 24th in defensive expected points added and tied for 23rd in takeaways. The pass rush struggled particularly badly, finishing last in sacks, 31st in pressures and 29th in pass rush win rate, the report says.
The personnel picture offers some built-in help. The report notes the expected returns of Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams from torn ACLs and the addition of defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, who was acquired to provide a pass-rushing 3-technique. The team also drafted Gracen Halton for a similar role and selected Romello Height, listed at 6-foot-2 and 239 pounds, who played on the edge at Texas Tech and could be used in varied ways. Shanahan called Height “somewhat of a tweener” and said Morris has extensive experience deploying such players, the report says.
Since his arrival in February, Morris said he has spent most of his time evaluating the roster and will lean on Bosa and linebacker Fred Warner as foundational pieces as he integrates his ideas into the existing scheme, per the report.
