The Green Bay Packers need to ensure that they have some solid defensive coordinator targets lined up in their sights in the 2026 NFL offseason, as it seems increasingly likely that Jeff Hafley is going to leave town for a head coaching offer elsewhere.
As it stands right now, Green Bay would likely be better off trying to ensure that they land someone with past experience as a high-end playcaller rather than bringing in an assistant for their first-ever DC gig. Former Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris certainly fits the bill.
Despite the Falcons finishing the season hot, who ended with them narrowly missing the playoffs at 8-9 following a hot start, Morris and GM Terry Fontenot were fired as Atlanta cleaned house. Morris likely won't be out of a job for very long, as he has enough cache within the league to fall back into DC work for a very long time.
If Hafley leaves, which looks more likely as the offseason inches ever closer, it will be hard to find a better candidate to fill that void than someone who can slam his Super Bowl ring down on LaFleur's desk and did a solid job of improving Atlanta's unit this season.
Packers could hire Raheem Morris as DC after Falcons firing
Morris's defenses with the Rams were good enough to win a Super Bowl with Los Angeles, and his hiring of Jeff Ulbrich shows that he has the ability to identify good defensive assistants. The Falcons' defensive turnaround was one of the biggest reasons for another season that Morris could have leaned on.
Morris was able to identify Jalon Walker, James Pearce Jr, Brandon Dorlus, and Xavier Watts as impactful players, and all of them have proven to be high-end starters. On a defense that is starting to run out of gas without Micah Parsons, Morris' talent evaluation will be sorely needed.
With both Morris and Matt LaFleur having experience under Sean McVay, that mutual connection could help Morris land in Green Bay. The Packers need to hope that Chris Shula does not get a head coaching job, as returning to the Rams could be an equally attractive job for Morris.
The Packers need to swing big on a proven candidate if Hafley leaves. Morris may not be a great head coach after a few mediocre seasons in Atlanta, but returning to his defensive play-calling roots might be what he needs to get back on track.