{"id":959515,"date":"2026-07-30T12:24:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T12:24:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/959515\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T12:24:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T12:24:16","slug":"raheem-morris-is-making-over-49ers-defense-everythings-different","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/959515\/","title":{"rendered":"Raheem Morris is making over 49ers\u2019 defense: \u2018Everything\u2019s different\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Training camp can start to feel like \u201cGroundhog Day\u201d after a while. Take left tackle Trent Williams,<\/a> for example, who has spent the second half of his NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers.<\/a> Around this time, for years, he scrimmages against the same defense. Different coordinators filter through but the scheme endures. Until recently.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think everything\u2019s different,\u201d Williams said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been going against the same defense in a team environment since I\u2019ve been here. It\u2019s always been the four-down front.\u201d<\/p>\n

Early signs of a defensive makeover under new 49ers defensive coordinator Raheem Morris have been hard to miss. Five-man fronts. Sticky coverage. Disguised shells.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s gotten players on both sides of the ball comparing notes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was talking to Fred about that,\u201d quarterback Brock Purdy<\/a> said. \u201cLike it\u2019s just, it is different. In camp, it\u2019s usually the four-down traditional stud defensive lineman with three linebackers and a strong quarter shell defense. Now it\u2019s like, all right, we got five down. He gives us all these different kinds of looks and the shell\u2019s always changing. Raheem\u2019s done a good job with, I think, trying to disguise things against the quarterback but also the techniques that the DBs are playing with now, too, that\u2019s a whole other thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Warner, the heart of the 49ers\u2019 defense since he was drafted in 2018, added: \u201cWe\u2019ve definitely installed some new things. \u2026 It\u2019s new for all of us. We all got to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n

Morris has built a diverse defensive background. He last called plays out of a 3-4 base with the Rams from 2021-23, which included their Super Bowl run in his first year as coordinator. But his most formative years as an NFL coach exposed him to the \u201cTampa 2\u201d\u00a0\u2014 traditionally a 4-3 alignment\u00a0\u2014 with the Buccaneers through the early 2000s. Since his arrival in Santa Clara, he has been hesitant to discuss how much change he might bring with him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not like my defense,\u201d Morris said to open camp. \u201cThis is the defense \u2026 that\u2019s built for the Niners and what we\u2019ve already had in place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Morris\u2019 wrinkles aren\u2019t actually state secrets. According to Purdy and Williams, what they have faced so far this camp mirrors the kind of defense the scout team could model during game weeks. \u201cI feel like this is the kind of stuff that we\u2019re starting to see more in the NFL,\u201d Purdy said.<\/p>\n

Robert Saleh offered familiarity in his return to the 49ers last season. After all, he was the first defensive coordinator of the Shanahan era. But what if that was Raheem Morris instead?<\/p>\n

Shanahan wanted him then. Then the 49ers waited to hire Morris, who was in the mix for head coach vacancies this past offseason.<\/p>\n

A big emphasis for Morris since the spring has been about affording his players enough schematic simplicity to play fast. Saleh preached the same thing last season. Returning cornerback Renardo Green was asked about the differences, as the incumbent starter at a position that Morris has specifically coached before across multiple stops as an assistant.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s easier to play faster,\u201d Green said as a credit to Morris, \u201cand I feel like he\u2019s finer, more detailed with just realistic things. It\u2019s a lot less thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Up against perennial All-Pro receiver Mike Evans at Wednesday\u2019s practice, Green matched the future Hall of Famer stride-for-stride on a streak and won. Evans failed to haul in the pass over his shoulder as Green challenged. The aggressiveness Green showed earlier in the rep, pressing at the line of scrimmage, has been a noticeable coaching point embraced by the defensive backs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Purdy explained the importance of his receivers winning 1-on-1 matchups, a nod to the kind of physical secondary Morris is encouraging. Of course, Evans has been the ideal barometer. Green and company are having fun with it.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust being able to get attached to guys or being able to contest catches, make plays, challenge the guys more,\u201d Green said. \u201cThat\u2019s what he wants, and that fits us. That\u2019s the type of ball players we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

The full scope of what a Morris defense looks like in 49ers colors is still loading. Just expect some departure from the status quo.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Training camp can start to feel like \u201cGroundhog Day\u201d after a while. Take left tackle Trent Williams, for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":959516,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2080],"tags":[220,7,6,2663,1161,252,2624,2623,9],"class_list":["post-959515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-francisco-49ers","tag-49ers","tag-football","tag-nfl","tag-raheem-morris","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-49ers","tag-sanfrancisco","tag-sanfrancisco49ers","tag-sports"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/117008915746005258","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/959515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=959515"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/959515\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/959516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=959515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=959515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=959515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}