Raheem Morris was named the 19th head coach in Atlanta Falcons history on January 25, 2024. He takes over the club after spending the past three seasons (2021-23) as defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams. During his tenure with the Rams, Los Angeles made two postseason appearances and captured a title in Super Bowl LVI.
Over the past three seasons, Los Angeles' defense has recorded the fourth-best red zone efficiency rating and the seventh-fewest rushing yards per game in the NFL. His 2023 unit was one of the youngest in the NFL but helped the Rams earn a playoff berth and featured Rams third-round rookie defensive linemen Kobie Turner, a finalist for the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award. Turner and Byron Young tallied a combined 17 sacks, finishing first and second among all rookies. Turner's nine sacks matched three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald's franchise rookie record (nine in 2014), while Young's eight sacks ranked third among rookies in franchise history.
In 2022, Morris led a Rams defense that led the NFL in red zone efficiency (44.4 percent), ranked second in goal-to-go efficiency (53.3 percent), seventh in interceptions (16) and ninth in defensive total rush EPA (42.97). During the 2021 season that culminated in a Super Bowl title, Los Angeles' defense averaged 1.5 takeaways per game and featured three players – Donald, Leonard Floyd and Von Miller – ranked in the top 20 in sacks. Additionally, Morris' unit ranked third in sacks (50) and fifth in tackles for loss (85) during the regular season.
Additionally in 2021, the Rams defense ranked sixth in the NFL in opponents rushing yards per game (103.2) and fifth in yards per rush (3.96). Morris' unit held opponents to a 51.8 percent red zone efficiency rate, which ranked eighth. Morris also led a secondary that ranked fifth in opponent passer rating (83.8) and third in interceptions (19). The secondary finished second in the NFL with 17 opponent passing touchdowns allowed and a 0.89 opponent touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Prior to Los Angeles, Morris spent six seasons (2015-20) with the Falcons in a variety of roles including assistant head coach/passing game coordinator (2015, 2017-18), assistant head coach/wide receivers (2016), assistant head coach/wide receivers/secondary (2019) and defensive coordinator (2020) before serving as Atlanta's interim head coach for the final 12 weeks of the 2020 season. Under the guidance of Morris, the Falcons finished the 2020 season tied for sixth in the league in red zone defense (82.1 percent) and sixth in rush defense (104.8 yards per game).
Morris began the 2019 season focused on the receiving corps but turned his attention to the secondary after the week nine bye week. Over the final eight games, the team went 6-2 and the defense improved from the lowest number of takeaways in the first half of the season (4) to finishing with the second most in the NFL (16) over the second half of the season. The defense also vaulted from the bottom of the league rankings to the top 10 in sacks (32nd to 10th), scoring efficiency (32nd to 9th) and red zone efficiency (31st to 6th) over the final eight weeks of the season.
In 2018, Morris' coaching played a part in helping the offensive average 290.8 passing yards per game, the fourth-best average in the league. The passing attack continued to improve from 2017 to 2018, with the offense averaging 50 more passing yards per game and totaling 15 more passing touchdowns than in the previous year. Under Morris' guidance, first-round draft pick Calvin Ridley led all rookies in receiving yards (821) and touchdowns (10). He also oversaw another great year from seven-time Pro Bowler, Julio Jones. Jones recorded 1,677 receiving yards, the second-highest total in his career, and hauled in 113 passes, the third time in his career with 100+ receptions in a season.
During Morris' second year as the wide receivers coach in 2017, his receivers pulled in 214 receptions for 2,848 yards and 13 touchdowns. Morris' coaching played a hand in Mohamed Sanu topping his then career-high for receptions, a mark he set the previous year under Morris' teaching. Sanu finished the year with 67 receptions for 703 yards and tied a career-high with five touchdown receptions. Morris also oversaw another impressive year from Jones, who was selected to go to his fourth straight Pro Bowl after hauling in 88 receptions for 1,444 yards and three touchdowns.
After spending his first season with the team as assistant head coach/defensive passing game coordinator, Morris transitioned to the offensive side of the ball in 2016 and was named the assistant head coach/wide receivers coach. In his first season coaching the wide receivers, Morris worked with one of the best receivers in the game in Jones. Jones recorded 1,409 receiving yards, which was second in the NFL that season while his entire receiving group teamed up for 223 catches for 3,226 yards and 22 touchdowns. The unit included Taylor Gabriel, who recorded a career-high six receiving touchdowns and Sanu who tallied a then career-high 59 receptions.
During Morris' first year in Atlanta, he was named the assistant head coach/defensive passing game coordinator. The defense only allowed 19 passing touchdowns, which was tied for the third-lowest total in the NFL while recording 15 interceptions, which ranked within the top 10 in the league. The numbers gave the defense a 1.27 touchdown-to-interception ratio, the seventh-best TD/Int ratio in 2015.
Morris joined the Falcons after spending three seasons as defensive backs coach for the Washington Commanders. In 2012, he helped Washington's defense finish tied for fifth in the NFL with 31 takeaways and tie a league high with 94 passes defensed. Washington scored four defensive touchdowns in 2012, including two from the secondary.
Prior to arriving in Washington, Morris spent three seasons as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2009-2011. He was the league's youngest head coach in 2009 and in 2010, as his team finished with a 10-6 record. The Buccaneers made their best turnaround in franchise history in 2010 after going 3-13 in 2009.
Morris served in multiple capacities with the Buccaneers during two different stints with the team before he was promoted to head coach. He spent two seasons as the team's defensive backs coach from 2007-08, during which time the Buccaneers ranked second in the NFL allowing 170.5 passing yards per game. During that span, the Buccaneers ranked among the league leaders with 22 interceptions.
He spent one year as the defensive coordinator at Kansas State in 2006, where he helped seven Wildcats earn All-Big 12 honors. Morris' unit featured two first-team All-Big 12 selections and one second-team honoree.
Morris made his NFL coaching debut with Tampa Bay as a defensive quality control coach in 2002, when the club won Super Bowl XXXVII. The Buccaneers defense allowed an NFL-low 12.3 points per game, the third-best scoring defense since 2000. He served as a defensive assistant with the Bucs in 2003 and as assistant defensive backs coach from 2004-05.
In 10 seasons in Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers finished fifth in total defense five times, while leading the League in 2002 and 2005. He also helped the team finish as the top-rated pass defense three times (2002, 2004 & 2007).
Morris began his collegiate coaching career an assistant coach at Hofstra in 1998. He moved on to Cornell University as defensive backs coach and special teams assistant for the 1999 season. Morris served as defensive backs coach at Hofstra from 2000 to 2001 before joining the Buccaneers. He also held a defensive minority internship position with the New York Jets in the fall of 2001.
Morris played safety at Hofstra from 1994-97 and received his Bachelor of Science degree in physical education. The Irvington, N.J., native will be joined in Atlanta by his wife, Nicole, his daughter, Amaya, and their two children, Maliya and Jalen.
