San Francisco 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan
Getty
San Francisco 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan
T
he San Francisco 49ers are locked and loaded for the 2026 season. Despite finishing 12-5 and making the playoffs in ’25, the 49ers fell flat on their faces, seeing their season end in the NFC divisional playoffs. Injuries played a big role in the team’s struggles towards the end of the year, with several key stars– like Fred Warner and Nick Bosa— missing large chunks of the season. But overall, the 49ers shined and turned heads all throughout the campaign– even though they ranked in the bottom half of the league on defense.
But after Warner and Bosa, the 49ers’ defensive catalysts, got injured, the struggles were no shock. The 49ers did what they could and continued to make plays when needed– all thanks to the leadership of defensive coordinator, Robert Saleh. Returning to the 49ers after serving as the head coach of the New York Jets, Saleh coached the 49ers’ defense very well considering he was missing several important players– leading to him getting hired as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans. Hiring Raheem Morris to replace Saleh as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator, head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke for the first time on why Morris made the most sense for the job.
Shanahan Speaks on Morris’ Fit with the 49ers
The 49ers’ defensive coordinator is a highly regarded one in the NFL, making it a pivotal hire for Shanahan each time he has to make one. And Morris, a longtime head coach and defensive coordinator in the league, not only brings the pedigree and experience, but is also a veteran in the NFC West and knows the landscape of the division– stemming from his time with the Los Angeles Rams as their defensive coordinator.
“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 in an article by San Francisco 49ers on SI reporter, Jose Sanchez. “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,” Shanahan added. “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.”
Can Morris Keep the Standards the Same?
In the years where the 49ers have been very successful, most notably the two Shanahan-led Super Bowl runs in 2019 and ’23, the defense was among the league’s best. And while Morris is a top tier defensive mind, his defenses are not always consistent. Still, Morris has shown that he can succeed in the right situation– winning a Super Bowl with the Rams in 2021– and Shanahan hopes that he can bring that same success to his second go-around in the NFC West.