Getty Los Angeles Rams safety Jordan Fuller will soon play for new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris this fall. It just so happens Fuller has an older brother who was once coached by Morris himself.
The newest Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator will have another Fuller to coach.
Second-year safety Jordan Fuller revealed to reporters on May 26 that he has one member of his family who is no stranger to new Rams DC Raheem Morris.
“A little fun fact: He actually coached my brother in Atlanta when he was drafted there as a receiver,” Fuller told reporters, whose brother is former Falcons wide receiver and seventh rounder Devin Fuller.
And four days after the Rams lost previous defensive coordinator Brandon Staley to their neighbor the Chargers to fill their head coaching vacancy, the Rams swiftly pilfered Morris to replace Staley on January 21. The first person to message the younger Fuller about the move? The former UCLA wideout who played 2016 and 2017 in Atlanta when Morris was there.
“As soon as we got him, my brother hit me up and said ‘You’re going to love him,'” Fuller said. “He said he’s going to coach everyone the same. He has a lot of energy.”
The Jersey Connection
The Fuller’s are natives of The Garden State with Devin born in Englewood, New Jersey and Jordan, who is four years younger, hailing from Newark.
But guess who also shares the New Jersey connection with the Fuller brothers? The 44-year-old Morris.
Like the Rams safety, Morris was born in Newark. While Devin and Jordan Fuller starred at Old Tappan High School as a four-star cornerback and four-star safety, respectively, Morris attended Irvington High School located 41 minutes south.
While Morris is widely regarded in the NFL as a defensive guru, he served as wide receiver’s coach and the passing game coordinator when Devin Fuller was there.
The UCLA grad, however, dealt with injuries in his truncated NFL career: Sustaining a 2016 shoulder injury that came during the preseason and an ACL tear the following year, which he suffered during training camp. After the franchise waived him in June 2018, he hasn’t found his way onto an NFL roster since.
Older Brother Was Right About Raheem
Fuller came to the Rams as a sixth rounder (the 199th selection overall) in the 2020 NFL Draft. While nfl.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein labeled Fuller’s reaction skills, agility and leadership as strengths, his weaknesses coming into the league were his size, backpedal and finishing tackles.
Fuller, however, emerged as a pleasant surprise on the league’s best defense last season. In 11 games of action due to injuries at safety, Fuller responded with 42 solo tackles including six in back-to-back games against the New England Patriots and New York Jets plus capped the year with three interceptions. But his best work came on November 23 in Tampa Bay. On that night, Fuller picked off seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady twice in the 27-24 road win. The evening ended with the Rams Twitter account playfully taking a jab at the other No. 199 selection Brady.
Not too shabby for pick No. 199 😉
@j_fuller4 called game!
But now, Fuller doesn’t want to gloat about his solid rookie debut with Morris on board, saying he’s aiming to improve his “football 101” and become more smarter before plays in live games. Fuller has noticed the fiery energy Morris displays. And thanks to that phone conversation he had with a former player of Morris, Fuller gained knowledge about the new Rams assistant and realizing that older bro was right about Morris.
“Everything my brother said is 100% true,” Fuller said. “He’s great to be around. Real knowledgeable about the game and in all aspects of the game: Offense, defense and special teams. He coaches everybody on everything. So it’s really dope to see.”