Kyle Shanahan Shares Why Raheem Morris is a Good Fit for the 49ers

For the first time since the 49ers hired Raheem Morris as defensive coordinator, Kyle Shanahan speaks on his fit.

Dec 21, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Losing Robert Saleh was a brutal, but expected loss for the San Francisco 49ers this offseason.

Replacing him was always going to be tough for the 49ers to do. Thankfully, Raheem Morris became available after the Atlanta Falcons relieved him as their head coach.

The 49ers immediately were in on Morris, and it didn't take long for the two sides to reach a deal. Morris was the best coach available for the 49ers to hire at the time.

John Lynch has spoken about Morris' fit with the 49ers before, but Kyle Shanahan has yet to do so. That changed on Monday at the NFL owners meetings when Shanahan was asked about bringing Morris in as the defensive coordinator.

Shanahan sounds off on the 49ers hiring Morris

"Just coaching with Raheem. I've been with him for a number of places, which is why I respect him so much as a coach and as a person," Shanahan said. "But I think the most for Raheem was going against him at the Rams. I had been with him where he's done different defenses. I know he took over that defense for Staley after Staley was there one year.

"Raheem came in, did his scheme similar to Staley's completely, I thought, added to it, did some different things to kind of make it his own. Playing against him in Atlanta, it was a little bit different, too. Raheem's been in a lot of different schemes; he knows how to utilize personnel, and I've always known he's one of the better coaches I've ever been around."

This is a strongly detailed answer for why Shanahan wanted the 49ers to hire Morris as the defensive coordinator. He tried to bring Morris in as the coordinator in 2017, so that was always the link.

But it seems Shanahan became further convinced Morris is a great fit after going against him multiple times. His point about facing Morris on the Rams was excellent.

He got to face Morris twice a year on the Rams and saw firsthand how Morris adjusted in a scheme he wasn't familiar with. The Rams hired Morris under the condition that he maintain the previous scheme left by Brandon Staley.

Doing that is extremely difficult, especially when Morris doesn't have any similarity with his own defensive tendencies. Yet, he led a fairly strong defense in Los Angeles.

By no means was it elite or that great, but for him to get the defense to be efficient under a defensive structure he's unfamiliar with is vastly impressive. He gets to do that now with the 49ers.

Except that he gets to incorporate his own style. Morris is an adaptive coach. He can blend a lot of players into his defense, which is why his fit is perfect for the 49ers.

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