49ers hiring Raheem Morris as defensive coordinator: Former Falcons coach replaces Robert Saleh

The San Francisco 49ers are expected to hire Raheem Morris as their defensive coordinator, per CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones. Morris was fired as Atlanta Falcons coach following the end of the 2025 season. He replaces Robert Saleh after Saleh took the Tennessee Titans' coaching job.

Morris, 49, went 8-9 in both seasons in his most recent stint in Atlanta. He also served as an interim coach there in 2020 and also coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2009-11. Overall, he has a 37-56 record as a head coach.

However, Morris has an extensive background as a defensive coach, including as the Los Angeles Rams' defensive coordinator from 2021-23, a stretch that included a Super Bowl victory. He was also the Falcons' defensive coordinator in 2020 before taking over as interim coach.

Morris broke into the NFL in 2022 with the Buccaneers as a defensive quality control coach and rose to defensive backs coach before he was hired as head coach at just 32 years old. After three years in that role, he joined Washington as the secondary coach, where he was on the same staff as current 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan. Morris and Shanahan were also on the same staff in Atlanta in 2015 and 2016, when Morris worked on both sides of the ball and Shanahan was the offensive coordinator.

The 49ers struggled defensively in 2025, but many of those struggles can be attributed to injuries. Nick Bosa (ACL) and Fred Warner (ankle) both missed double-digit games, and first-round rookie Mykel Williams only played roughly half the season after tearing his ACL. The 49ers still managed to make the playoffs, where they beat the Philadelphia Eagles before losing to the Seattle Seahawks.

San Francisco had one of the NFL's least-productive pass rushes, something that will certainly be an area of focus for Morris. San Francisco spent each of its first five picks in 2025 on defenders, and their development will be crucial.