Seattle Seahawks go way outside the box for new defensive coordinator hire

Do you like the photo for this article? This is where I had to go to get a photo of Aden Durde. He is the one of the second from left. Who is he, you ask? He is the new Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator, according to NFL insider Tom Pelissero. But really, who is he?

Most recently Durde worked as the defensive line coach for the Dallas Cowboys. He has held that role since 2021. That is a positive as the Cowboys had a very good D-line under the direction of Durde. He must know what he is doing.

But we are just going to have to assume he does. He only joined the NFL in 2018 when he became a defensive quality control coach for the Atlanta Falcons. Former Seahawks defensive coordinator and former Falcons head coach Dan Quinn hired Durde to work with Atlanta. After Quinn moved to Dallas to become the DC, he chose to take Durde along with him.

Aden Durde is the Seattle Seahawks new defensive coordinator

The issue is that before Durde came to Atlanta he was mostly a coach in Europe. He actually was born in England, too. Durde is also only 44 years old. Seattle continues to remake its coaching staff into one of the younger ones in the league; new head coach Mike Macdonald is only 36 years old. This could be good or bad, of course, but if the staff does not work out their youth is going to be held against them.

Of course, Durde is really a defensive coordinator in name only. Macdonald is going to be calling the defensive plays. Durde's job will be to make sure Macdonald's game plan is understood by the other defensive coaches and by the players.

Even knowing Macdonald calling the plays, though, he is a first-time head coach. Hiring a more veteran defensive coach to be Macdonald's next in charge might have been the wiser move. But let's see how 2024 plays out and then review. Durde might simply be an unknown genius that the Seahawks are lucky to have.

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