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Raheem Morris is getting most from no-name Rams D – and boosting case for NFL head-coach job
The NFL Week 13 notebook takes a closer look at Raheem Morris' surprising results with the Rams, some recent celebrations and more.
Quick, name three players from the Los Angeles Rams defense besides Aaron Donald.
OK, name two.
Raheem Morris knows. Coordinating a defense that features the ultimate centerpiece in Donald, the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year with a knack for blowing up schemes with a single bull rush, is quite the bonus.
Yet what Morris has managed to achieve with a progressive unit that contains so many no-name and relatively cheap supporting cast members is among the key reasons the Rams (5-6) have played their way into the NFC playoff chase.
As Los Angeles prepares to host the Cleveland Browns and emergency quarterback Joe Flacco on Sunday at SoFi Stadium, its defense ranks 16th in the NFL for yards allowed and points allowed. Middle-of-the-pack stuff. And better.
It’s more impressive, though, when considering the Rams defense – which handled Kyler Murray and Geno Smith the past two weekends – ranks dead-last, 32nd in the league, for salary cap dollars spent on the defense. According to Spotrac, this amounts to $48.4 million – which includes Donald’s team-high $26 million cap figure.
In other words, Morris and Co. have been so resourceful in getting bang for the buck from their young defense. After Donald’s big number, the next-highest cap figure for a Rams defender, safety Jordan Fuller, is $2.8 million.
Morris gets a lot of credit for making shrewd in-game adjustments, especially lately. Yet he was quick this week to talk up the behind-the-scenes work from his players. Here’s one way it has apparently shown up: The Rams have led the league in pass breakups the past two weeks after ranking last through 11 weeks.
He put names on the faces of players (Derion Kendrick, Ahkello Witherspoon, Quentin Lake, Russ Yeast, Cobie Durant) while making the point about work ethic. Yet there is little doubt that Morris’ fingerprints have pushed the right buttons.
Ask Rams coach Sean McVay. The two first worked together in 2012 while on Mike Shanahan’s staff with Washington, when McVay coached tight ends and Morris landed as defensive backs coach following a three-year stint as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' coach.
“We always talk about trying to help guys reach and realize their highest potential,” McVay said this week. “I think we’re seeing a lot of growth and development from a lot of people that he has an influence on and it certainly isn’t exclusive to just the defense. Raheem influences this whole building.”
That’s a strong endorsement for Morris’ viability as a candidate in the upcoming hiring cycle. Another one has come from Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, who coached with Morris as assistants with the Bucs in the early 2000s. Tomlin has said that Morris – who has interviewed for multiple head coaching jobs in recent years – is the best coach in the league without a head-coaching job.
Experience should help his cause. Morris, 47, was 32 when he landed the Bucs job. Since then, he bolstered credentials as such: He worked as an assistant on offense with the Atlanta Falcons, plus had a stint as interim head coach. After reuniting with McVay in 2021, he coordinated a Super Bowl-winning unit.
They broke up the big-name defense that the Rams won the Super Bowl with, as star players such as Von Miller, Jalen Ramsey and Leonard Floyd were too expensive to keep in addition to Donald. Yet Morris has shown that he can still build a reputable unit, even on the cheap.
Now that’s resourceful.
