National Football League

Report: Falcons add Raheem Morris to coaching staff

Published Jan. 26, 2015 11:37 a.m. ET

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Even though Atlanta can't formally hire Seattle defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as its head coach until after the Seahawks are finished at the Super Bowl, they are building a coaching staff with Quinn's finger prints all over it.

Raheem Morris, who spent the last three seasons with the Redskins as their defensive backs coach, has verbally accepted an offer from the Falcons to become their assistant head coach, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network. Morris will be responsible for Atlanta pass defense.

The Falcons are expected to hire Quinn the day after the Super Bowl. It is the thinking that Quinn will call the defensive plays while Morris' responsibilities will entail every aspect of stopping the pass on defense; not just in the secondary, but also in the middle of the defense at linebacker and any lineman or hybrid player that drops into coverage.

Morris has ties with Quinn, both as a player and coach.

While at Hofstra, Morris played safety from 1994-97. Quinn was the defensive line coach during Morris' final two seasons on the team. Morris then joined the Hofstra coaching staff as a graduate assistant in 1998 and was later hired in 2000 as the secondary coach when Quinn was the defensive coordinator.

It has also been reported by the NFL Network that Quinn will add Broncos linebackers coach Richard Smith to Atlanta's staff as its defensive coordinator. Smith will run the defense, according to Breer.

Smith and Quinn were both on staff with the 49ers for two seasons in 2001-02. Smith coached the linebackers while Quinn was in charge of defensive quality control.

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