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Atlanta Falcons interim head coach Raheem Morris did not get the permanent role as Atlanta turned to ex-Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith instead.
But, that doesn’t mean Morris is done on the sidelines. In fact, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ new head coach, Urban Meyer, has been in talks with Morris about the open defensive coordinator job, per NFL insider Adam Schefter.
After the Falcons fired Dan Quinn for going 0-5, Morris stepped up from defensive coordinator and led Atlanta to a 4-7 finish. The Falcons’ success on defense with Morris at head coach this season did not go unnoticed.
Another Expert Expresses Why Morris Would Fit in Jacksonville
ESPN’s Field Yates added to Schefter’s report as to why Morris would be a good fit.
“On top of coordinating his defense, adding a former NFL head coach in Raheem Morris to his staff would be a nice coup for Meyer,” Yates tweeted. “Morris has seen a lot in the NFL that any new head coach hasn’t.”
Urban was actually interested in Dan Quinn at first for the DC job, but Quinn is off the market after taking a job as DC for the Dallas Cowboys. Morris is the next best thing and possibly even better.
Falcons defensive coordinator, Jeff Ulbrich, who took over for Morris when he was promoted to interim coach, endorsed Morris as a head coach.
“I wanted to – this might be my last opportunity with you guys – give my endorsement of Raheem Morris as a head coach, whether it’s here or somewhere else,” Ulbrich said via AtlantaFalcons.com. “In this day and age, this current player’s culture in the NFL, there’s not a better candidate in my opinion. You have to have the ability to relate to the current player. You have to have the ability to create an environment for the current player that is not necessarily built in the old NFL world, in my opinion, for these kids to thrive. They’re just not raised the same way, football is not played the same way. He’s one of those rare guys that has that ability to create the environment that’s necessary.”
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Morris Has Plenty of NFL Experience
Yates has it figured out, Morris has seen plenty of the NFL and he jumped to the top a lot faster than most.
Morris was 32 when he was named the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach, one of the youngest in a large role at the time.
He went 3-13 his first year in Tamps and then found a spark to go 10-6 in his second season, the same year quarterback Josh Freeman had his best career performance. In his third season with the Bucs, Morris went 4-12 and was fired.
From there, Morris had no choice but to start from ground zero. He was hired as Washington Football’s secondary coach and spent three seasons in that role. Afterward, he made his way to Atlanta where he was hired as the Falcons receivers coach and coordinating the passing game.
In 2019, the Falcons went 1-7 midway through the season and Quinn made one of his smartest decisions ever by putting Morris in charge of the defense. Morris led such an impressive turnaround that he was promoted to defensive coordinator ahead of the 2020 season.
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