Analysis: Seahawks' Delayed Hiring of New Defensive Coaches Is a Problem

The Seahawks' vacancies at defensive coordinator and pass game coordinator remain—two weeks after the team decided to fire Ken Norton Jr. and Andre Curtis. Matty F. Brown explains the reasons for this delay before looking at the potential problems it may cause.

The Seahawks are still without a defensive coordinator nor pass game coordinator for the 2022 season. It’s been two weeks since the team officially announced the firings of Ken Norton Jr. and Andre Curtis. With the Senior Bowl underway and the offseason plans beginning, the team needs these positions filled soon.

Reports have linked four candidates with the play-calling job, including former Broncos defensive coordinator Ed Donatell, former Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai and Cowboys pass game coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. Seahawks assistant head coach and defensive line coach Clint Hurtt rounded out the quartet as the in-house option.

Seattle’s frustrating waiting game is due to a particularly slow head coach hiring cycle league-wide. The Vikings and Jaguars have yet to announce their respective new head coaches. Each move has ramifications that shake up various coaching lineups, as evidenced by the Raiders. 

Las Vegas only announced its decision to hire Josh McDaniels over interim head coach Rich Bisaccia on February 1. The fallout has left defensive coordinator Gus Bradley looking for a new job. The alternative scenario of Bisaccia appointed full-time to the position would likely have seen Bradley retained. Instead, Bradley could now be a late potential option in Seattle, reuniting with Carroll.

The head coaching market’s consequences have also been felt with non-hires. Whitt now has the unexpected continued presence of Dan Quinn as the Cowboys' defensive coordinator in 2022. Quinn had emerged as one of the NFL’s leading head coaching candidates before multiple interviews ended in a return to Dallas. 

Perhaps Whitt would like the idea of coaching another year under Quinn. But that feels unlikely; Whitt has earned a promotion opportunity in the eyes of the league and he recently interviewed for the Colts' position left vacant by now-Bears head coach Matt Eberflus. Indianapolis feels like a more attractive opening to a budding defensive coordinator than Seattle, purely because the defensive coordinator there will receive far more schematic freedom under offensive-minded head coach Frank Reich than working in Carroll’s dictated system.

The college world also has the Seahawks waiting, with the University of Miami’s search for their own new defenisve coordinator still ongoing. Hurtt played college football for the Hurricanes and was linked to the gig in January. From a Seattle perspective, Miami’s eventual decision may force its hand. If the Hurricanes hire a different coach, Hurtt is unlikely to receive another play-calling opportunity this season and the team could then keep him in his current position while hiring a different defensive coordinator and pass game coordinator. However, if the Hurricanes do decide to offer Hurtt the defensive coordinator role, the Seahawks may then offer him the same job in the hopes of keeping him in the Pacific Northwest.

The delay in the Seahawks’ hires will soon start to prove problematic. The all-star collegiate events of the Senior Bowl and Shrine Bowl are underway. In addition to draft scouting, Seattle must also make decisions on which players to retain and add in free agency. While this is work largely for the front office, the coaching staff’s input is still vital. An effective front office must work in-sync with the types of player that coaches desire, and how the specific scheme will look to deploy certain skillsets. This understanding guides the players the front office searches for, evaluates and ultimately adds to the team.

When the list of defensive candidates arrived, there had been a line of thinking that the experience of Desai and Donatell in Vic Fangio’s defense was Carroll looking for an ambitious blend of systems. The above combined with the still-vacant positions serves as confirmation that, whoever the Seahawks decide are the right defensive coaches to fill these roles, this will still very much be Pete Carroll’s defense in 2022. The defensive personnel and system will be more of the same. For comparison’s sake: Seattle hired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron on January 27, 2021 after exiting the playoffs on January 9.