How the 49ers' defense looks different under Raheem Morris

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Since his arrival via trade in 2020, San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams has grown accustomed to stepping on the practice field and looking across the line of scrimmage at a defense that, despite cycling through six coordinators in 10 years, has looked largely the same.

Coordinators Robert Saleh, DeMeco Ryans, Steve Wilks, Nick Sorensen and Saleh again introduced wrinkles throughout their tenures. But for the most part, the team has run a base 4-3 defense paired with ever-changing zone coverage principles. Until this year.

Roughly halfway through their first training camp with Raheem Morris in charge of the defense, Williams still isn't sure what to expect from down to down.

"Everything's different," Williams said. "... Obviously, we're not brand new to it. We played it a lot when [Raheem] was in L.A., played last year in Atlanta. It's actually one of the defenses that a lot of people tend to throw in their repertoire."

In the locker room, Morris has been a breath of fresh air. That's not because the players lack love and respect for Saleh, who now coaches the Titans and is back in the Bay Area for joint practices and the preseason opener, but because Morris empowers them to play free and challenges them to expand their games.

To the surprise of no one who watched a Morris defense when he was the defensive coordinator for the Rams (2021-23) or served as the head coach in Atlanta (2024-25), most of the defensive changes aim to create a confusing pre-snap picture for the opposition. And he does so through the use of five-man fronts, which Williams, linebacker Fred Warner, and quarterback Brock Purdy have all pointed out.

Morris' Atlanta teams played the third-most five-man fronts in the NFL over the past two seasons, while the Niners have only "dibbled and dabbled a little bit" with it, according to Morris.

But the real curveball in the scheme isn't so much the use of five-man front as to what he asks that fifth man to do. At a recent news conference, veteran linebacker Dre Greenlaw made passing mention of a position Morris calls the "fever backer."

Asked to describe the responsibilities of the "fever backer," Morris joked he has been "making up a lot of terms" before explaining the position can do just about anything. That includes playing off the edge as a pass rusher, dropping into more of a coverage role or being a traditional stack linebacker.

The goal, not unlike coach Kyle Shanahan's offense, is to utilize personnel groupings that make everything look the same before quickly transforming into something else. Through the first two weeks of camp, three young 49ers -- second-year linebacker Nick Martin and rookies Jaden Dugger and Romello Height -- have emerged as the top candidates for the job. Each has done one of those jobs well over their career, but they're trying toadd other tools to their belt throughout camp.

It's why Dugger spent some time at a recent practice with the defensive line, working to hone his pass-rush moves. And it's why observers have seen Height take reps dropping into coverage.Martin has also occasionally lined up as the fifth defender on the line of scrimmage during team periods in this camp.

Linebacker coach K.J. Wright said the winner of that competition, which he says is still wide open, won't claim the job just based on physical attributes. They'll have to prove they can handle the workload that accompanies so many responsibilities. Hence the position's name.

"The way I interpret it, it's a sick position," Wright said. "You're off the ball, you're on the ball, you get a fever, you're sick. It's like you can do so many things. It's a football sicko."

The other unique title Morris brings is the "star" position.The "star" maintains a role as an every-down nickel back, but they also need the skills to defend in the slot, help in the box in run support and occasionally deploy as a pass rusher.

Though many have played it in the NCAA and NFL over the years, Jalen Ramsey made it most famous during his time with the Rams. He played at the "star" under Morris in Los Angeles for two seasons, including the Rams' Super Bowl LVI win.

It's one of the most important positions in Morris' schemes because it gives him the most freedom to change up looks. Second-year cornerback Upton Stoutis expected to inherit the role for the 49ers.

Much like the "fever backer," the "star" has to handle a significant amount of information, something that should come easily to Stout. Cornerbacks coach Ray Brown and defensive pass game coordinator Jerry Gray said Stout normally fires questions at them at all hours of the night. That was even the case while Stout trained in Houston over the summer, as Gray would get text messages out of the blue from Stout about what he saw on tape or ways he could better train for the new job.

"He really wants to be good. And he knows that that position requires a lot," Gray said.

Another common refrain from Morris' players in camp has come from the team's starting defensive backs. Cornerbacks Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green and safety Ji'Ayir Brown have all made at least some reference to Morris' scheme allowing them to play faster and freer.

Brown said this is his "favorite camp" and that he "can't remember the last time I had this much fun" playing football. Green said it's "easier to play faster" and that Morris' defense requires "a lot less thinking." Lenoir said Morris "broke the defense down" and "made it as simple as possible to where we are able to just read and react."

"He wants football players," Brown said. "Previous schemes we've been in haven't wanted that. Raheem wants you to play football. He wants instinctive players. He wants guys who can just get out there and play ball and read the quarterback. The scheme fits all of us."

Naturally, those comments could lead one to believe that the defensive backs disliked Saleh's 2025 scheme because it asked them to do too much. Though there might be truth in that, explanations exist for it.

Without defensive end Nick Bosa (torn right ACL) and lacking any meaningful pass rush -- the Niners finished last leaguewide in sacks (20) and 31st in pressures (157) -- Saleh had to adjust his overall game plan. Instead of allowing the pass rush to dictate opportunities, he had to rely on other positions to disguise coverages.

Matters became even more difficult in Week 6, when Warner suffered a season-ending right ankle fracture and dislocation. The trickle-down effect of losing Warner's voice and communication skills forced the secondary to diagnose more information both pre- and post-snap.

The result was a middling defense that finished 13th in scoring (21.8 points per game), 25th in defensive efficiency (43.69), 24th in defensive expected points added (minus-62.22) and 24th in yards per play (5.6).

"When Fred is out there, everybody listens to what he says," Wright said. "They do what he says. He makes the checks. He directs everyone. When other linebackers play, you hear more voices and people start to overtalk. When 5-4 is out there, do as [he] says and life will be good."

With Warner back in the mix and Greenlaw re-signed, the communication between the front and back of the defense should vastly improve. However, any steps forward from the entire unit will depend on how well everyone adapts to changing roles and the development of many young defenders.

Regardless of Morris' changes, Warner is doing everything he can to ensure at least one aspect of the 49ers' defense doesn't change.

"The thing that will always remain true is just the style of play," Warner said. "That's always got to come first and show through in the biggest way. ... We're not happy with anything that we've done or accomplished. It's always about seeing where we can get better every single day."br/]