LATEST NEWS: Raheem Morris was developed as a leader by Sean McVay and Les Snead, according to the Falcons owner.

Prior to joining the Atlanta Falcons staff under Dan Quinn in 2015, Raheem Morris had already served as head coach once before, spending six years in a variety of roles on both sides of the ball. However, when the Falcons owner Arthur Blank was interviewing candidates to replace Quinn in 2021, he felt that Morris was not ready to become the head coach and instead selected Arthur Smith, the offensive coordinator for the Titans. When Smith was fired at the end of 2023 after three 7-10 seasons, the Falcons made the unexpected choice to reinstate Morris as head coach over a six-time Super Bowl winner. The motivation for this move was Morris’ three years of coaching with Sean McVay and Les Snead on the Los Angeles Rams.

Blank made sure to cite McVay and Snead in Albert Breer’s SI column as major factors in Atlanta’s choice to select Morris over Bill Belichick and a half-dozen other candidates:

“We had a terrific time working with him in Atlanta. It lasted six years, and while it didn’t finish that way, there was undoubtedly a lot of success throughout that time, according to Blank. “Very good leader, spent a lot of work on both offense and defense. Both players and coaches adored him. Throughout his three years in Los Angeles, I observed that he developed professionally in a number of ways. These included his working relationship with coach [Sean] McVay, their coaching style and structure, organizational growth, and working with Les [Snead] and the special level of collaboration that I believe exists between Les and Sean when it comes to building their roster.

“I believe he gained knowledge and abilities that he didn’t fully grasp before leaving for Atlanta. Throughout the interview process, I could tell that they were considering how to assemble a coaching staff that would last even if we were to lose coaches in the future due to success. I’m thrilled to have him.

Prior to 2020, Morris had never held a full-time position as a defensive coordinator. He had only ever called plays while serving as the Buccaneers’ head coach. In 2021, the Rams signed Morris as a replacement for Brandon Staley. Although Morris’ defense wasn’t as good as Staley’s, he still helped the Rams win a Super Bowl and showed last season that he could push players beyond their limits.

Blank determined that Morris was once more prepared to take the helm of a team in 2024 thanks to his diverse background as a head coach, defensive coordinator, assistant head coach, interim head coach, wide receivers coach, and passing game coordinator. Morris has a wealth of talent in Atlanta, particularly in the offensive department. He also brought in two additional Rams coaches, Jimmy Lake and Zac Robinson, to oversee the offense and defense.

Morris would not likely be in this favorable scenario and given a second opportunity so quickly if it weren’t for his time spent with McVay and Snead. Given that Staley is the only head coach to be dismissed since leaving the Rams, the McVay tree is not just broad but also resilient. Morris, in Blank’s opinion, will undoubtedly be the next big thing.