Raheem Morris was named the 19th head coach in Atlanta Falcons history on Jan. 25, 2024. He took over the club after spending 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.
In his first season with the Falcons, Morris finished with a 4-2 record against NFC South opponents. Atlanta finished sixth in offensive yards per game (369.8), fifth in passing yards per game (239.3) and 10th in rushing yards per game (130.5). The Falcons recorded 550 yards of total offense in the Week 5 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the sixth-highest total in 2024. Defensively, the Falcons finished the season third in opponent plays of 20-or-more yards, allowing just 52 (eight rushing, 44 passing) throughout the season. Running back Bijan Robinson and special teamer KhaDarel Hodge both were elected to their first-career Pro Bowls after the 2024 season, while guard Chris Lindstrom was elected to his third consecutive (2022-24).
Drake London, Robinson and Michael Penix Jr. combined to make the Falcons the first team in NFL history with a 300-yard passer, 175-yard receiver and 150-yard rusher each under the age of 25 in the same game (Week 18).
In his sophomore season, Robinson finished the season third in the NFL in rushing yards (1,456), fifth in rushing touchdowns (14) and fifth in receiving yards (431), among running backs, making his first Pro Bowl appearance.
In his third season, London earned his first career 1,000-yard receiving season, finishing fourth in the NFL in receiving yards (1,271). The third-year wideout also pulled in 100 receptions for his first 100-reception season, leading the team in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns (nine). London became just the third player in Atlanta history with at least 100 receptions, 1,200 yards and nine touchdowns in a season, joining Roddy White (2010) and Terance Mathis (1994), while setting the franchise record for the most receptions in a player's first three years with 241.
On the defensive side of the ball, Kaden Elliss had a breakout 2024 campaign, becoming one of only three players since 2000, and the first in Falcons history, to total 150 tackles (151), and five-or-more sacks in a single season. Safety Jessie Bates III was the only player in the league to have four forced fumbles and four interceptions, also becoming the sixth player in Falcons history to record multiple pick-sixes in a career. Additionally, cornerback A.J. Terrell Jr. tied for the second-least receptions allowed in man coverage (10) among players with at least 103 coverage snaps. OLB Arnold Ebiketie recorded the fifth-most sacks in the NFL over final six weeks of the season, totaling five sacks in Weeks 13-18.
Over his three seasons with the Rams, Los Angeles' defense 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 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 2020 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 offense 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 nine 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 as 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.
