Raheem Morris Reportedly to Replace Brandon Staley as Rams DC

The Los Angeles Rams will reportedly hire Raheem Morris to take over as defensive coordinator, according to NFL reporter Josina Anderson.

That followed a report that the Rams were "focusing" on the former Atlanta Falcons interim head coach in their search for a new defensive coordinator.  

Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Tuesday it was "looking like" the Rams would hire Morris to replace Brandon Staley, who was hired as the Los Angeles Chargers' new head coach.

The Rams led the league in both total defense (281.9 yards allowed per game) and scoring defense (18.5 points allowed per game) during the 2020 regular season.

L.A. opened the playoffs by giving up just 278 yards in a 30-20 road win over the Seattle Seahawks, but its Super Bowl hopes came to an end Saturday as superstar defensive tackle Aaron Donald was limited by a rib injury in a 32-18 loss to the top-seeded Green Bay Packers.

Morris guided the Falcons to a 4-7 record after he was selected to replace Dan Quinn, who was fired following the team's 0-5 start to the campaign.

The 44-year-old New Jersey native wasn't retained when Atlanta decided on an organizational restructure to open the offseason, led by the arrival of general manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Arthur Smith.

Morris previously served as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach from 2009-11, posting a 17-31 record with no playoff appearances despite a 10-6 season in 2010.

He's served as a defensive coordinator twice previously, first with Kansas State at the college level in 2006 and then with the Falcons to open the 2020 season before the midseason promotion. He'd been in 
Atlanta since 2015 when he signed on as an assistant head coach and defensive backs coach.

In all, the Hofstra product has 23 years of coaching experience between the collegiate and pro levels, and most of it has come on the defensive side of the ball.

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan believes Morris will eventually get another chance at being a head coach.

"I think he's learned a lot during his time here," Ryan said in December. "He learned a lot during his last stint as a head coach down in Tampa. I think his travels along the way and his experiences have put him in a spot where he's going to be a really good head coach in this league."

In the meantime, the Rams' defensive coordinator job shapes up as one of the best assistant positions heading toward 2021 given the team's recent success on that side of the ball.