Bumpus: How hire of Leslie Frazier helps Seahawks’ Mike Macdonald

At 36 years old, new Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald is the youngest head coach in the NFL. He’s now paired with a veteran coach in Leslie Frazier, who joins Macdonald in Seattle as the team’s new assistant head coach.

Macdonald adds veteran Leslie Frazier as Seattle Seahawks assistant head coach

Macdonald and Frazier, who is 64 years old, coached together in Baltimore in 2016 when the veteran coach was a secondary coach.

So what does the hire of Frazier mean for Macdonald and the Seahawks? Former NFL receiver Michael Bumpus broke it down during Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy on Monday.

“Leslie is an OG in the game, man,” Bumpus said.

Frazier has been coaching in the NFL since 1999, with his most recent job being defensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills in 2022. He has a ton of high-level coaching experience, too.

“He’s been a head coach before. He was head coach of Minnesota, he’s been a defensive coordinator with Minnesota, Tampa and the Bills,” Bumpus said. “He’s been in the role that he’s in right now, assistant head coach … He did that for Brad Childress over there with the Minnesota Vikings … (Did that with the) Indianapolis Colts in 2006, he was over there with (Tony) Dungy, and then from 2020-22, same thing with (Sean) McDermott (with the Bills). He’s done this before. He’s watched, he’s followed the older head in Tony Dungy, he’s helped the younger guy in McDermott who was 41 when he got his job, and then the middle-aged (guy) with Brad Childress.”

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Frazier’s background is on defense, and during his five years running Buffalo’s defense, that unit was among the league’s best.

“You talk about Leslie Frazier’s defense, the Bills’ defense, they’ve been top-five overall four times when it comes to total yards (under Frazier),” Bumpus said. ” … They were top-five in points allowed three times … I just throw out his resume to say Mike Macdonald is gonna be well supported. (Frazier has) been around the block, he understands what success looks like, what failure looks like, and he’ll be able to mentor this young man.”

Macdonald told reporters last week that he will call Seattle’s defense until he feels there’s a right fit to take those duties over. Bumpus thinks Frazier could ultimately be that guy.

“Is Leslie Frazier at a place in his career where he says, ‘Look, I’m not (going to be a) head coach … I’m gonna hold it down here and be the defensive coordinator, support this young talent,'” Bumpus said. “He could be at a point in his life where that just feels right to him.”

Listen to the full second hour of Monday’s Bump and Stacy at this link or in the player near the top of this story.

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