Let's take a trip down memory lane for a second. One of the biggest splash moves Raheem Morris made as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons came just a couple of weeks before his first season at the helm, as Atlanta acquired star pass-rusher Matt Judon away from the New England Patriots.
The four-time Pro Bowler was the second Pro Bowler the Falcons' defense added that offseason after Justin Simmons, and just like Simmons, this move failed. Despite playing in all 17 games (and somehow breaking up five passes), Judon mustered just 5.5 sacks and was not the player to bring back the pass rush like he was expected to.
Even though Judon hasn't played for the Falcons in quite some time, he's getting a second chance to get it right with Morris. The 50-year-old is now the defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers, and with them in need of help off the edge, their connection is coming in handy over two years later.
After a workout on Saturday, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported the 49ers are signing Judon to the practice squad with an early chance to be elevated to the active roster on Monday. And if you look at the situation, this marriage makes a whole lot of sense for both sides.
The 49ers are signing veteran pass rusher Matt Judon to the practice squad with early chance for elevation, per sources.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) September 28, 2026
Judon has 72 career sacks and four Pro Bowls. pic.twitter.com/iW9ZKzi6r0
The 34-year-old heads to a San Francisco team that's now without both of their starting edge rushers in Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams. So they need instant production from someone they can trust to handle the fast turnaround process before being elevated, and a guy with 100 starts to his name certainly fits the bill.
Raheem Morris offered ex-Falcon Matthew Judon a lifeline with the 49ers
Before we discuss his hopes of a career revival, let's go over how we got here.
Judon was a solid pass-rusher in Baltimore, and became elite in New England, recording 28 sacks across his first two seasons there. But he went down in Year 3, which was when the Pats deemed him expendable, while his stint in red and black showed some signs of regression coming off the injury.
The season season before he joined the Dirty Birds, Judon suffered a season-ending torn bicep early on and never really returned to his pre-injury form. But that Falcons team also had zero pass-rushing juice: Arnold Ebiketie was their leading sack artist. No wonder they finished second-to-last in sacks.
Since leaving Atlanta, Judon has bounced around the league. He spent most of the year in Miami before getting waived in December and signing to the Buffalo Bills' practice squad. His NFL career was nearing an end, but he'll now receive a chance to revive his career as a rotational pass-rusher.
It's interesting to see how desperation saw both Matthew Judon and Raheem Morris reunite with one another, because could be Judon's final shot in the NFL, while Morris is looking to right the ship in the Bay Area.
Meanwhile, the Falcons, even without Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr., have enjoyed one of the best pass-rushing attacks in the league.
Through three weeks, they rank first in the NFL in pass-rush win rate, they have Za'Darius Smith (the player the chose to sign over bringing back Judon this summer amid their pass-rushing woes) leading the team with 2.5 sacks, while lesser-name like Cameron Thomas, Samson Ebukam, and even Brandon Dorlus and Gervon Dexter on the interior have shined.
The Falcons have a much better pass-rush than Raheem Morris and the 49ers do, so it's nice to know they're not the team giving Matthew Judon another chance after what we saw during his last stint with Morris in Atlanta.
Add us as a preferred source on Google