SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Raheem Morris will return to Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday not as the former Atlanta Falcons head coach but as the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator. Six games into his tenure in San Francisco, Morris — who spent the past two years as Atlanta’s head coach — said he is focused on the 49ers’ defense rather than plotting another run at a head-coaching job.
Asked whether he hoped for another head-coaching opportunity, Morris dismissed the notion, saying, “We have somewhere in society been screwed up. We have got this illusion in our head that everybody’s a head coach. There are 32 head coaches in the National Football League. There are 32 defensive coordinators, and there are 32 offensive coordinators, and there’s 32 everything we do. … We are blessed and you couldn’t have a better job than all of us.”
Morris’ arrival has coincided with schematic tweaks that have unlocked a more aggressive secondary and a more productive front. The defense delivered game-winning sequences in consecutive weeks against Seattle and Washington and has shown continuity after cycling through coordinators in recent seasons.
Through six undefeated weeks, San Francisco’s defense has allowed the fewest explosive plays in the NFL and ranks fourth in points allowed per game (18.3) and yards allowed per play (4.7). The 49ers are fifth in total yards allowed per game (300) and defensive expected points added (21.59), and sit seventh in ESPN’s defensive efficiency metric (64.95), according to ESPN.
Much of that production has come despite injuries to key linemen, including defensive end Nick Bosa (calf), defensive tackle Alfred Collins (patellar tendon), defensive tackle C.J. West (knee) and defensive end Sam Okuayinonu (foot). Safety Ji’Ayir Brown said the unit can improve with more continuity: “Honestly, I think we can be No. 1 in all categories, but it is a new defense. It is a lot of figuring things out.”
San Francisco’s secondary has more continuity than other areas, with safeties Malik Mustapha and Marques Sigle and corners Renardo Green, Deommodore Lenoir and Upton Stout returning. Morris brings nine NFL seasons of experience as a defensive backs coach or defensive pass-game coordinator and has also coached receivers, including in Atlanta in 2016 when Kyle Shanahan was the team’s offensive coordinator. He said that offensive experience helped shape his defensive philosophy. Morris has not abandoned the 49ers’ preference for zone coverage but has made subtle tweaks to how his defensive backs attack opposing offenses.
