Why Seattle Seahawks moving on from Ken Norton, Jr. is a good move
The Seattle Seahawks are expected to part ways with their defensive coordinator of the last four seasons, Ken Norton, Jr, per a report from the Seattle Times. Along with Norton, defensive passing game coordinator Andre Curtis will also reportedly be moving on.
A lot of Seahawks fans will be happy that the organization made this move, seeing as Norton has led nothing above a mediocre defense across the last four seasons following the era of the Legion of Boom. Who will the Seahawks bring in to replace KNJ?
Per Bob Condotta on Twitter, the Seahawks are leaning towards elevating Clint Hurtt, the current defensive line coach, or hiring Ed Donatell, current DC for the Denver Broncos, to coach the defense.
Seahawks reportedly expected to part ways with Ken Norton, Jr.
Clint Hurtt is definitely a likable guy, but I think Seahawk fans should have their sights set higher. While we still don’t know who will replace Norton, I’d also like to mention a couple of possibilities that were recently removed from head coaching positions.
The first coach that would certainly be a solid defensive coordinator candidate for Seattle is Brian Flores. Many were surprised by Flores’ firing last week, as he turned the Dolphins around and led them to two straight winning seasons, barely missing the playoffs each time. Flores would be my top candidate, but seeing as he was so successful in Miami, he may get an opportunity to be the head coach of another team, taking him out of the DC discussion.
Vic Fangio obviously didn’t have the right stuff as head coach of the Broncos, but he led their defense to be strong even without top-end weapons. Seattle doesn’t have the resources to build a star-studded defense currently, so giving Fangio a shot at restoring dominance in the Seahawks defense would make me happy.
Next. 3 coaches who should replace Ken Norton, Jr.. dark
While the new hire is likely to be a Pete Carroll underling and the 12s are likely to see more of the same from the defense in 2022, I say Carroll should give a big gun like Flores a chance at running the defense. It’s a unit that’s been stuck in average territory for four seasons, and a big change like that may be just what it needs to return to the top. In this scenario, change in and of itself is a benefit to the Seahawk organization.