How Versatility Is Showing Out In Raheem Morris’s Defense During Training Camp

Under new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, the San Francisco 49ers defense is still expected to carry remnants of the defense under Robert Saleh, which brought them success back in the late 2010s and last season, despite injuries.

However, Morris is also expected to add his own wrinkles to the defense, with versatility seemingly being a key point of that. As training camp is going on, reports are suggesting we’re starting to see more of that, and Morris alluded to that on Thursday as he broke down the value of ‘fever’ linebackers in his system.

“I’ve been making up a lot of terms since I’ve been here,” Morris said. “But, obviously, you know what traditional backers look like: stand-up guys that can move around. Those fever backers are kind of those guys that bring you subtle changes, subtle different things. They can do different things. They can play star for you. They can play outside edge and play, you know, sort of a big nickel. They can get at the line of scrimmage. They can use their hands, do a couple of different things.

“We got a couple of different terms for what those styles look like and what they feel like in order to get guys lined up, in order to put them on paper. So, you know, those guys have been doing such a good thing with some of the spinner-type stuff that you’ve heard about. All the unique things that these guys can do, you want to find ways to use them. And we got some guys on our team that got some real unique skill sets. So being able to use those guys, whether it be a spinner situation, a fever backer, whatever the call is, getting those guys out there so you can have those names, so you can be sharp, crisp, and be able to substitute those guys the way you need to do it, I think is important.”

Has that position been a staple in Morris’s defenses?

“I think that depends,” the defensive coordinator said. “A lot of this stuff is based on how you can utilize guys. A lot of stuff is based on how you get through games, how you utilize those guys to be able to get through games, what you plan for, things you can’t plan for. When you get those unexpected injuries and be able to fill people in in those positions to do different things. A lot of guys on our football team have been able to show that they’re versatile, and I really love that. And that’s pretty cool.”

The 49ers have been trying to get that versatility out of a couple of their young rookies, with Jaden Dugger and Romello Height being prime examples. Dugger, who was a safety-converted-linebacker, is seeing looks at both positions, while Height, primarily known for his pass-rushing ability, is being tested in a couple of different roles.

“[Height is] a smart young man,” Morris added. “He’s been able to come out and been able to, you know, always the guy you’re like scared to talk about early. I’m sure for you guys, when you watch him move around in shorts, it’s not real football yet. Then you got a chance to watch him in pads and you get a chance to see his physicality and some of the things that he can do, particularly rushing the passer, setting the edge, doing all the things that he’s doing.

“Then you get a chance to see a little bit of versatility out of him. So you’re excited about his learning capacity. You’re excited about his ability to go out there and play at a very high level. You’re excited about the what-if when he gets a chance to play with [Nick] Bosa and some of those other guys like Mykel [Williams] that we got coming back. It’s exciting. He’s an exciting young player, um, that we had a lot of hopes for, and hopefully we can meet them.”

For Morris, his goal, especially with those younger players, is testing who can be versatile and what the strengths of each player are. That benefits him during the regular season as he tries to place players in the best roles to be successful.

That versatility has also been seen in the secondary, where Morris has moved some of his cornerbacks around.

“I mean, [position switching], that all depends on demeanor,” Morris said. [Upton] Stout can play whatever he wants. You know, Stout can play linebacker, Stout can play safety, Stout can play corner. Right now he is our starting star, he’s our starting nickel. And him going out there playing at a very high level with his hand usage, his ability to get after the pass rush, his ability to pass rush, his ability to use his short-space quickness, defend anything whether it be zone, whether it be man. Highly competitive young man. Stays angry every single day. I love him. Ge’s got the mindset of a football player, and he’s got the mentality of a football player, and he certainly has the movement and the skill set of a football player.

“And then to just talk about being versatile with guys, I think we kind of did that a little bit, switched the corners with DeMo (Deommodore Lenoir) and Renardo [Green], made those guys go opposite, make Jack [Jones] play opposite, making those guys, whether it be Siran [Neal] playing a little bit of safety, being able to play corner, you’re creating versatility across the board because you just never know what happened in the game. DeMo playing inside a little bit for us the other day, being able to do some different things for us. When things happen in the game, something goes off through the course of the game, you want to be able to have an answer. And it’s our job as coaches to have an answer for our head coach when something goes wrong, what we’re going to do and what our plan is. It may not be the right plan, may not be the right decision, but you better have one.”

Overall, it seems like the defensive coordinator will look to add his own wrinkles to the defense, be it more five-down fronts or playing guys in different roles at all levels of the defense. And that could be the key for younger guys to get on the field more, but also increase the team’s preparedness for all situations in a game.