You get the sense that Raheem Morris would have hired Jeff Ulbrich to be his defensive coordinator in early 2024 had it been an option, so the fact that he’s the defensive coordinator in 2025 is no great surprise. As Tre’Shon Diaz wrote last night, Morris prizes his relationships with coaches he knows and trusts, so the hire we half-expected is the one we ought to have expected even as the list of interviews burgeoned in the past week.
The last time Morris was the head coach and Ulbrich was the defensive coordinator was in a 2020 season doomed from the outset, with both men thrust into larger-than-anticipated roles after Dan Quinn was fired and they were tasked with finishing out a season that began 0-5.