NFL

Falcons hire Raheem Morris as head coach

Morris did an excellent job the past three seasons as the Rams’ defensive coordinator, but it hard to ignore his 21-38 mark as the Buccaneers’ head coach from 2009-2011. Morris is likely aware of the mistakes he made in Tampa Bay and will be better with the Falcons, but Atlanta passed on Bill Belichick and Mike Vrabel, among others, to hire Morris. In Atlanta, the defense should continue to improve with this hire, but the offense, especially the quarterback position, will be under a microscope until it gets fixed.

Grade: D+

Panthers hire Dave Canales as head coach

The Panthers are a mess. The franchise has bad ownership, no first-round pick this offseason and a former No. 1 overall pick at quarterback that showed barely anything as a rookie. Considering this, Carolina made out well in landing Canales. The first-time head coach shouldn’t face too much immediate pressure to win, and he should be able to boost Bryce Young’s performance.

Grade: B+

NBA

Wizards fire head coach Wes Unseld Jr.

This is the correct call. Unseld Jr. wasn’t going to be the right coach to guide Washington into contention, whenever that may be, so the Wizards are doing the prudent thing by dismissing him now. As the franchise continues to rebuild, it will need to be careful with its decision making, and next offseason’s head coaching hire will be important.

Grade: A-