Reports: Seahawks promoting Clint Hurtt to defensive coordinator
Feb 4, 2022, 12:07 PM
Seahawks assistant coach Clint Hurtt watches from the sidelines during a game against Houston. (John Rivera/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(John Rivera/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Seahawks will apparently be staying in-house with their defensive coordinator hire as Bob Condotta and Adam Jude of the Seattle Times have reported that Seattle defensive line coach and assistant head coach Clint Hurtt will be promoted to defensive coordinator for the 2022 season. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Brady Henderson later confirmed the report as well.
Hurtt, 43, has been with the Seahawks since the 2017 season and has been defensive line coach and assistant line coach that entire time. He will be replacing Ken Norton Jr., who was let go after four seasons as the Seahawks defensive coordinator.
Hurtt was one of four reported candidates for Seattle’s defensive coordinator vacancy, and it appears that two of those other candidates will be joining Hurtt as well.
Ed Donatell, who has 11 years of defensive coordinator experience including the last three years in that role with the Denver Broncos, reportedly was hired to be a defensive assistant, according to Fowler.
Report: Hawks hire ex-Broncos DC Donatell, but not as DC
Sean Desai, who was the Chicago Bears defensive coordinator in 2021 and has been a defensive assistant in the Windy City since 2013, may be joining the staff as defensive passing game coordinator, according to Jude. That position is currently vacant as Andre Curtis was let go along with Norton earlier this offseason.
Before joining the Seahawks, Hurtt worked with Donatell in Chicago in 2015 and 2016 when the former was the outside linebackers coach while the latter coached defensive backs. Desai was also on the Bears defensive coaching staff as a defensive quality control coach those two years with both Donatell and Hurtt, and Hurtt and Desai worked together in Chicago in 2014 as well when the former was an assistant defensive line coach.
If both Desai and Donatell join the Seahawks coaching staff, that gives Hurtt two familiar faces with recent defensive coordinator experience to lean on in his first time in that role.
Hurtt reportedly being offered the job comes just a few days after another job Hurtt was reportedly tied to was filled.
Hurtt played collegiately at the University of Miami and was reportedly in the running for the program’s defensive coordinator vacancy. But that job instead went to Kevin Steele.
