It appears the Jacksonville Jaguars will be missing out on what potentially would’ve been a big addition to their coaching staff. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo the Los Angeles Rams have their eyes set on Raheem Morris and it appears he’s likely to take the job.
A potential big hire for the #Rams, as Raheem Morris was the target in several other places. https://t.co/gvds9UVZOp
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 19, 2021
With the Rams closer than the Jags to making it official, Morris will head to a situation where he has talents like Aaron Darnold and Jalen Ramsey, who are elite against the pass. He’s also going to a situation where he’s quite familiar with the staff, as pointed out by Albert Breer.
One big plus to the pending hire of Morris: He's worked closely on staffs with LBs coach Joe Barry, CBs coach Aubrey Pleasant and safeties coach Ejiro Evero before. Injects feel of continuity amid the turnover.
Also, Morris is flexible enough as a DC to adapt some schematically. https://t.co/u811oonOC0
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 19, 2021
The Jags will now have to keep looking elsewhere for a defensive coordinator, though Baltimore Ravens assistant Joe Cullen could be under consideration as he will interview with the Jags this week. Another name to recently pop up is Cullen’s co-worker, Chris Hewitt, who the Jags have shown interest in, too.
One trait Meyer seemed to be looking for was a defensive coordinator with NFL experience, but the options appear to be shrinking (Wade Phillips, anyone?). That’s not to say that an inexperienced NFL coordinator can’t thrive either, though.
Heading forward it will be interesting to see how things unfold as Meyer continues his search. Regardless of what happens, it’s clear a different direction is needed than the one the Jags took for many years under Todd Wash.