Falcons give Raheem Morris another chance, choose him as new head coach

The Atlanta Falcons cast a huge net in their head-coaching search this offseason and it was Raheem Morris who ended up emerging as their choice. The team is expected to hire him as their new head coach according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

For Morris, it will be his second opportunity with the Falcons.

He served as their defensive coordinator during the 2020 season and took over as their interim head coach when Dan Quinn was fired following an 0-5 start to the season. Most recently, he has worked on Sean McVay's staff with the Los Angeles Rams as their defensive coordinator.

Morris also coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers between the 2009 and 2011 seasons, compiling a 17-31 record in that space. 

The Falcons interviewed 14 candidates for their head-coaching job, including some of the biggest names on the market during this coaching cycle. They had multiple meetings with former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, met with former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel and also interviewed former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh. 

Even though his first head-coaching experience in Tampa Bay went poorly, Morris has remained a popular defensive coach in NFL circles and at 47 years old is still a young coach by league standards. He will be taking over a Falcons team that fell into consistent mediocrity under former head coach Arthur Smith, who led the Falcons to three consecutive 7-10 seasons before being fired this offseason.

There is some talent to work with in Atlanta, including running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts. While Morris is a defensive coach, he will need to find a way to maximize the talent of those three playmakers on offense – something that was a constant struggle for Smith this season. 

He also needs to get the quarterback situation right.

Atlanta spent the 2023 season rotating between Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke with poor results from both. The Falcons own the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, which could put them in a position to either move up to select one of the top quarterbacks (Caleb Williams, Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels) or position themselves to try for one of the second-tier quarterbacks, such as Michael Penix Jr. or Bo Nix.