Coaching vacancies continue to be filled around the NFL, as the Atlanta Falcons announced on Wednesday that Raheem Morris had been hired as head coach of the organization, while the Carolina Panthers named Dave Canales as their new head coach.
Morris joins Atlanta from the Los Angeles Rams, having served under Sean McVay as defensive coordinator for three seasons, winning Super Bowl LVI with the team. He brings a wealth of experience to the Falcons having coached on both sides of the ball in the NFL in 21 different years.
Morris spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in assistant roles from 2002 to 2005 and returned to the franchise in 2007. He was promoted to his first and only prior full-time head coaching role in 2009, spending three seasons at the helm before being fired and moving to Washington as defensive backs coach.
He is also familiar with the Falcons franchise, having worked with the team as an assistant head coach, pass game coordinator and wide receivers coach between 2016 and 2019. He was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2020 and had an 11-game span as interim head coach that season after Dan Quinn was fired, before heading to LA.
The Panthers have put their faith in the first-time head coach to turn the franchise around. Carolina finished with a league-worst 2-15 record in a miserable season that saw 2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young struggle heavily in his rookie campaign.
Canales will now navigate a difficult offseason where the Panthers are without their first round pick – which ended up being the first overall selection – after trading it to the Chicago Bears in the deal to land Young.
