Rost: Two recent reports about Seahawks OC search stand out

The Seattle Seahawks desperately need to fill their vacant offensive coordinator position soon.

While there have been intriguing names linked to the team, two recent reports stand out.

Baldinger: Why Seahawks’ O-line could soon be an asset

A 28-year-old is a top candidate

Three names have reportedly received second interviews: Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley, Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, and Vikings assistant offensive coordinator Grant Udinski.

Udinski is just 28 years old and is also interviewing for the Patriots’ vacant offensive coordinator role. He’d be the youngest OC in the league in the league if hired, surpassing 32-year-old Tommy Rees, who was hired to the same role for the Browns earlier this month.

Ever since Sean McVay’s historic run to a Super Bowl title with the Rams, there’s been a romanticizing of young offensive minds — to varying degrees of success (seriously, the Sean McVay effect has its own Wikipedia page). On the one hand, it’s very cool to see teams expand their sights to include younger coaches when looking to hire coordinators; on the other, sometimes an attempt to copy the most obvious traits from McVay (his youth and offensive background) forget the most important traits (his leadership).

However, there’s a fair assumption to make about Udinski’s swift rise correlating with an especially impressive mind. Take his title, for example: assistant offensive coordinator, which is a rare role.

“When you see an assistant coach with some sort of weird, fluffy title like that, what does that mean? Usually, it means somebody along the way tried to hire that guy and the staff retained him by giving him a raise and a fancy new title,” ESPN Seahawks reporter Brady Henderson told Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Wednesday.

The Seahawks could… split the role in two?

This one is a new and fascinating report from NFL insider Albert Breer of SI. Breer thinks Seattle is considering the possibility of splitting the offensive coordinator role into a named OC – someone like Fraley – to focus on the run game, and then a separate specialist to collaborate on the pass game (he mentions Vegas’ Scott Turner as an option here).

For what it’s worth, former Seahawks tight end Luke Willson is a fan of Fraley’s after the two crossed paths in Detroit.

Hank Fraley is the man. I hope the Seahawks get him as their new OC. This would be an elite hire.

— Luke Willson (@LWillson_82) January 22, 2025

Seattle already has a unique approach to its defensive staff, with Aden Durde as defensive coordinator, head coach Mike Macdonald as the actual defensive playcaller, and assistant head coach Leslie Frazier in a sort of advisory role.

Seattle’s strength offensively has been its pass game, and you’d hate to lose any level of innovation there or limit growth. But bringing in someone with a deep understanding of the offensive line and run game addresses their single biggest weakness on that half of the ball.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

• If Seahawks trade DK Metcalf, there’s a team to watch
• 2 Takes: Insiders’ views on top Seahawks OC candidates
• Why Hawks OC search could be impacted by Bears’ new coach
• Early Mock Draft Roundup: Who could Seahawks pick at No. 18?
• Barnwell: The path Seattle Seahawks should take with Geno Smith

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