An NFL coaching hiring cycle that has been one of the most patient in recent memory finally began to percolate some on Thursday.
And as teams like the Broncos (Nathaniel Hackett) and Bears (Matt Eberflus) began to fill head-coaching vacancies it raised the question of where things stand with Seattle's search for a defensive coordinator.
Thursday marked 10 days since it was revealed that the Seahawks were firing defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. and defensive passing game coordinator Andre Curtis.
As of Thursday afternoon, nothing appeared imminent in terms of a hire for either spot.
Four names have been reported and confirmed by sources as candidates for the defensive coordinator job — current Seattle defensive line coach and assistant head coach Clint Hurtt, Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai, Denver defensive coordinator Ed Donatell, and Dallas secondary coach and passing game coordinator Joe Whitt Jr.
Whether any new names have been added to Seattle's list is unclear. But as of Thursday afternoon, there had been no reports of the Seahawks showing interest in anyone other than those four.
But the events of Thursday involving teams for three of the known four candidates might spur some activity.
Hurtt, 43, has also been reported as a candidate for the open defensive coordinator position at the University of Miami, his alma mater, under new head coach Mario Cristobal.
It's known that Seattle wants to keep Hurtt, who has been with the Seahawks since 2017 and now stands as the second-longest tenured defensive assistant after linebackers coach John Glenn.
And Seattle head coach Pete Carroll has a history of hiring known quantities to fill the defensive coordinator role, in part because Carroll is known to have a heavy say in what happens on defense.
All four of Carroll's previous Seattle defensive coordinators were either with the team at the time or had worked for the Seahawks during his time as head coach. Each of the last two — Norton and Kris Richard — were promoted from position coaching jobs.
Seattle could well do the same with Hurtt, and the fact that the Miami DC job remains unfilled is telling — the Hurricanes could be waiting to see what happens with Hurtt in Seattle.
The Seahawks have also been reported as interested in bringing back Nick Sorenson as passing game coordinator. Sorenson was Seattle's secondary coach from 2017-19 and then held the title of secondary coach/nickel specialist in 2020 before leaving for Jacksonville in 2020 to serve as special teams coordinator under the since-fired Urban Meyer (Sorenson was also a special teams assistant with the Seahawks from 2013-16).
Of the three outside candidates, all have current situations that remain unclear but with recent moves that might make each more available for Seattle.
Of the three, Donatell is the only one with ties to Carroll, the two having first worked together at the University of Pacific in 1983 and then with the Jets from 1990-94.
Donatell, 64, has been in limbo since Denver fired Vic Fangio earlier this month, and he may not have his job to return to now that Hackett has been hired — Hackett is reported to be interested in hiring Ejiro Evero, the Rams secondary coach and pass game coordinator, as defensive coordinator (Hackett and Evero have known each other since college).
Donatell also has extensive experience as a defensive backs/secondary coach, and if he's out of a job in Denver might be available for a non-DC opening with Seattle, as well.
Desai's future with the Bears is also unclear with Chicago now set to hire Eberflus, who had been the defensive coordinator with the Colts.
Eberflus runs a 4-3 defense while Desai, 38, used a 3-4 with the Bears in 2021 in what was his first year as the defensive coordinator.
Desai, who earned a doctorate in educational administration with an emphasis in higher education, at Temple in May 2008 and worked as an adjunct professor at the school in 2009 and 2010, teaching in the master's and doctoral programs in education administration, has been with the Bears since 2013.
As for Whitt, it had been unclear what his future in Dallas might hold if the team's current DC — Dan Quinn, who was Seattle's DC in 2013-14 — were to leave to become a head coach, whether he might follow Quinn (he also worked with Quinn in Atlanta) or get promoted with Dallas.
But it was reported Thursday that Quinn will stay with the Cowboys as defensive coordinator despite having reported interest from six of the teams with head coaching vacancies, apparently meaning that Whitt could stay in Dallas with his same job.
Reports have also stated that the Ravens and Steelers want to talk, or have talked to, the 43-year-old Whitt about their defensive coordinator opening, as well.
Seattle taking some time to fill a coordinator role isn't out of the ordinary.
The Seahawks fired Brian Schottenheimer on Jan. 12 in 2021 as offensive coordinator and reached an agreement to hire Shane Waldron as his replacement on Jan. 26, 2021.
