The San Francisco 49ers may have their next defensive coordinator already lined up. After the Atlanta Falcons fired head coach Raheem Morris, Kyle Shanahan would certainly love to reunite with a guy he has spoken highly of in the past.
Morris was fired after an 8-9 season with the Falcons. It was Atlanta's second straight 8-9 season, and it was a bit surprising that the Falcons let him go considering they finished the season very strong even after they were eliminated from the playoffs with over a month to go in the season.
One would have thought that him still getting the most out of the roster despite not having a ton to play for would have reflected well on him, but apparently Atlanta wanted a fresh start.
Now, Shanahan could have his dream replacement for Robert Saleh, should Saleh decide to depart and take a head coaching job elsewhere. It seems like a distinct possibility that Saleh could depart, given how many head coach openings there are across the NFL, so the Niners need to have contingency plans in the event that happens.
Morris and Shanahan have a history with one another dating back to their time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when they were just assistant coaches. They have crossed paths at other points in their career and gone against each other several times. There is definitely a mutual respect between the two, and Shanahan has admitted trying to lure Morris to his staff in San Francisco before, but it just hasn't quite worked out.
If Saleh leaves, that would provide the perfect opportunity for Shanahan to finally get his wish and get Morris on his staff.
However, Morris would probably not be the only candidate. Gus Bradley is currently on San Francisco's staff and seems like he is being groomed as a potential internal replacement for Saleh. Plus, Bradley is more familiar with the type of defense the 49ers run, whereas Morris runs a slightly different system.
Still, maybe the Niners could bring Morris into the fold as some sort of assistant coach the way the team brought Brandon Staley in as an assistant in 2024 even though he was not a defensive coordinator. That didn't exactly pan out, but maybe Shanahan's familiarity with Morris would bring about different results.
Shanahan's preference would obviously be to retain Saleh, but if he departs, Morris seems like he'd be a very strong replacement.