The San Francisco 49ers are hiring veteran defensive backs coach Jerry Gray to their coaching staff, according to CBS Sports’s Matt Zenitz.
Gray, 63, was the assistant head coach of the defense for the Atlanta Falcons since 2023, but it was initially unclear if he’d remain on staff under new head coach Kevin Stefanski. Ultimately, he’s joining his former head coach Raheem Morris, who was hired earlier this offseason as the defensive coordinator for the 49ers.
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Gray is a former player who was selected in the first round of the 1985 NFL Draft. He proceeded to play in the NFL from 1985-93 and became a coach in 1995, starting as a defensive backs coach for the SMU Mustangs.
In the NFL, he’s been a longtime defensive backs coach, having that role with the Tennessee Titans (1999-2000), Washington Redskins (2006-2009), Seattle Seahawks (2010), Minnesota Vikings (2014-2019), and Green Bay Packers (2020). He’s also been a two-time defensive coordinator, and has held other defensive staffer roles in the past.
With Gray coming to San Francisco, Raheem Morris now has a familiar face on that side of the ball from his last stop. The 49ers reportedly wanted to interview Falcons secondary coach Justin Hood earlier this offseason, but that move was blocked by Atlanta.
The 49ers still will have most of their assistants on defense from a year ago, with Kris Kocurek manning the defensive line, Johnny Holland coaching the linebackers, and Ray Brown coaching the cornerbacks. But they did Robert Saleh and Gus Bradley to the Tennessee Titans, so there will be some turnover on the coaching side this offseason.
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