Seahawks reportedly make important coaching changes Friday

According to multiple reports, the Seattle Seahawks made an important defensive coaching change Friday and also fired their offensive line coach.

First on the defense. After seeing Ed Donatell not end up in Seattle but instead being hired as the defensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings, the Seahawks offseason changes went from hopeful to seemingly lost.

It’s not that Seattle reportedly promoting Clint Hurtt from defensive line coach to defensive coordinator is a bad thing; Hurtt could be a great DC. But Donatell would have been a voice of wisdom when needed. That he went to the Vikings likely means he wasn’t thrilled with maybe coming to Seattle only as a senior defensive consultant.

The changes Seattle was making to its defensive coaching staff were suddenly seeming desperate instead of simply needed. But on Friday, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported that Sean Desai will be coming to the Seahawks as the team’s associate head coach/defense. Desai likely had several other offers to be a defensive coach with other teams but also likely got offered a lot of money to come to Seattle.

Seattle Seahawks make important coaching staff changes

Desai is an excellent secondary coach and should have a lot of input in passing game coordination. He is a good hire and at just 38 years old could become the next head coach for the Seahawks once Pete Carroll leaves (whenever that happens).

Seattle also will reportedly hire Karl Scott as defensive backs coach. Scott has just one year of coaching in the NFL but has several recent years of greatly successful experience with DBs both with the Vikings in 2021 and at the University of Alabama before that. He appears to be an excellent teacher and can get corners to play press coverage.

Offensively, Seattle reportedly fired offensive line coach Mike Solari. In his place, Seattle will promote Andy Dickerson to replace him. Dickerson joined the Seahawks in 2020 when he came over from the Los Angeles Rams with offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.

Dickerson likely has an idea of a zone-blocking scheme that meshes better with what Waldron wants than what Solari was doing. Solari wasn’t a bad offensive line coach but Dickerson simply is a better fit with how Seattle wants to run its offense.