A returning Seahawks assistant coach Huard is excited about

After hiring Klint Kubiak as their new offensive coordinator just over two weeks ago, the rest of the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive coaching staff is taking shape.

And it will feature a definite Kubiak flavor.

4 things we learned from new Seahawks OC Kubiak’s press conference

On Tuesday, the Seahawks officially announced John Benton as their offensive line coach and Andrew Janocko as their quarterbacks coach – both of whom were already reported to be joining Kubiak’s staff. The Seahawks also announced Michael Byrne as an offensive assistant. All three worked under Kubiak last year when he was the New Orleans Saints’ offensive coordinator.

But there’s also a returning Seahawks assistant who has ties to Kubiak.

That would be running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu, who was the Minnesota Vikings RB coach in 2021 back when Kubiak was the Vikings’ OC. Polamalu appears slated to return for his second year as Seattle’s RB coach after head coach Mike Macdonald told reporters Tuesday that while there still may be “a couple” of additions to the coaching staff, “everybody that’s (still) here will be here.”

During Wednesday’s edition of Blue 88 on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk, former NFL quarterback Brock Huard expressed his excitement that Polamalu appears to be remaining on staff.

“A name that I think a lot of people were watching was Kennedy Polamalu,” Huard said. “There was a lot of thought that he was gonna get plucked away with a different staff, maybe even down in Vegas (with former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll). He had a background with Pete Carroll at USC.”

Polamalu, a former USC fullback in the 1980s, has a wealth of coaching experience that includes 14 years at the NFL level and 18 at the college level. Most of his positions have been as a RB coach, along with a pair of offensive coordinator stints at USC and UCLA.

Huard thinks Polamalu’s coaching background will be particularly important in Kubiak’s scheme, which will feature a run-first identity.

“The running back position coach in this system – where the details matter – is an important piece,” Huard said. “And having continuity with a voice those guys (in the running back room) trust is important to keep there. So I like seeing Polamalu on this staff heading into next year.”

Listen to the full Blue 88 segment at this link or in the audio player near the middle of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

• Daniel Jeremiah: How Seattle Seahawks should address their O-line
• Why Geno Smith was a ‘huge draw’ for Seattle Seahawks OC Kubiak
• What Seattle Seahawks coach Macdonald said about Tyler Lockett’s future
• New Seattle Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak describes vision for offense
• The ‘critical’ position in new Seattle Seahawks OC’s scheme

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