John Lynch Reveals Why Raheem Morris is an Excellent Fit With the 49ers

Losing Robert Saleh to the Tennessee Titans was a brutal, but expected move for the San Francisco 49ers.

Thankfully, it didn't take them too long to find an adequate replacement for Saleh. The 49ers hired former Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris to be their next defensive coordinator.

Morris was a coach the 49ers wanted for the same position when Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch took over in 2017. It's no surprise that the 49ers hired him, especially because of his relationship with Shanahan.

But aside from personal relationships, the 49ers haven't publicly spoken on the hire. That changed on Tuesday at the scouting combine when Lynch revealed why Morris is an excellent fit for the 49ers.

Lynch sounds off on Morris hire

john Lync — Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"I think you go into all of his experiences. Raheem, he's been in this league for a long time. He's done it at a high level," said Lynch. "And I think he's got a lot of variety to the type of defense, schematically and in terms of what he's deployed and we like that. He's very familiar with the system we run, but he's also had some more experiences, like what he did with the Rams, that can add some variety to what we do.

"I think he's a very forward-thinker. He's a guy, he's an energy giver. Any building Raheem’s in, you feel that. And we're really excited about working. We lost a really good defensive coach in Robert Saleh. With him he took Gus Bradley, who had a great influence on our building, but to be able to replace that with someone like Raheem and some of the pieces we're bringing in, we're really excited about.”

Hiring Morris is a solid move by the 49ers. They get a coach who has a lot of variance to his scheme. That's exactly what the 49ers can use with their defense.

Plus, he has a background in defensive backs. He should be able to see decipher quality players there and if the current ones the 49ers have will suffice.

I asked @CSimmsQB what makes Raheem Morris a good fit to be the next 49ers defensive coordinator. pic.twitter.com/45uP0wyO1F
— Jose Sanchez (@JS3Sanchezz) February 4, 2026

Usually, it's best to wait to call a coach or a player a great addition on a team, but the 49ers can say that already with Morris. Just look back at the couple of weeks when they were interviewing coaches.

Initially, it was Gus Bradley who was a favorite. Thank goodness the 49ers didn't go that route. Hiring Morris saved them from promoting Bradley.

It also saved them from looking like fools waiting for Jim Schwartz. He was a coach who would've been an amazing hire at defensive coordinator, but that was a fantasy.

The Cleveland Browns still employ him while he is just chilling at home. Not waiting for that dramatic situation to resolve and going after Morris was the best call that would garner results.

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