Raheem Morris added two more position coaches to his Falcons staff, and they may be two of the most important because they’ll be tasked with developing Atlanta’s 2021 and 2022 first-round picks in Kyle Pitts and Drake London.
According to Albert Breer, Kevin Koger will be leaving Jim Harbaugh‘s staff in Los Angeles to join Morris. He was the Chargers tight end coach and will assume the same role for the Falcons.
The Falcons are hiring Kevin Koger away from the Chargers to be their new tight end coach, per source. A key hire for Raheem Morris and Zac Robinson as they try and maximize Kyle Pitts in the new Atlanta offense.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) February 1, 2024
Earlier today, Mike Garafolo reported that the Falcons had plucked Ike Hilliard to be the wide receiver coach under Raheem Morris.
The #Falcons are adding veteran WR coach Ike Hilliard to Raheem Morris’ coaching staff, sources say. A tough, reliable player for the #Giants and #Buccaneers, Hilliard is back in the NFL as an assistant coach with his fifth team. pic.twitter.com/ogfPiVGS4L
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) February 1, 2024
Hilliard last coached in the league with Pittsburgh, where he was the Steelers’ receivers coach from 2020-2021. Before that, he was Washington’s receivers coach from 2014-2019, where he helped develop the likes of Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel.
Hilliard and Morris spent time together during that period in Washington, but their connection goes back further than that. The Falcons’ new head coach was the Buccaneers defensive backs coach.
The former No. 7 overall pick of the 1997 draft, Hilliard spent eight seasons with the Giants and four with the Bucs. He caught 546 passes for 6,397 yards with 35 touchdowns in 161 career games.
Koger entered his third season with the Chargers as the tight ends coach in 2023. He coached Gerald Everett to career bests with 58 receptions and 555 yards on the season, while tying a single-season career high with four touchdown catches.
Tight ends have been a reliable target for Justin Herbert over Koger’s tenure. Before that, he spent time in Green Bay, contributing to the tight ends as well, helping Robert Tonyan break out in 2020 with 52 catches for 586 yards and 11 scores — leading all NFL tight ends in touchdown catches.
Drake London and Kyle Pitts should certainly experience an uptick in production with Zac Robinson dialing up plays. Having two proven position coaches in Ike Hilliard and Kevin Koger should help as well.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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