The Seattle Seahawks aren’t staying entirely status quo for 2022.
According to Bob Condotta and Adam Jude of the Seattle Times, the Seahawks are expected to part ways with defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. and defensive pass game coordinator Andre Curtis.
Assistant head coach/defensive line coach Clint Hurtt and long-time NFL assistant Ed Donatell are among the candidates to replace Norton at defensive coordinator.
Norton has been an assistant with Pete Carroll for long stretches of his coaching career dating back to their time together at USC. Norton was a linebackers coach with the Seahawks through the team’s Super Bowl runs before leaving to become a defensive coordinator with the Oakland Raiders. After Seattle moved on from defensive coordinator Kris Richard following the 2017 season, Norton was brought back to take over the coordinator position with the Seahawks.
Seattle’s defense has gotten off to horrendous starts each of the last two seasons. In 2020, they were on pace at the midway point of the year to allowing the most passing yards in NFL history by over 1,000 yards. This season, the defense again was subject to allowing offenses to move way too freely up and down the field as the finished the season 28th in total defense.
The Seahawks were far better in points allowed both seasons and significantly improved as both years went along. However, the issues two seasons in a row appear to have been too much for Norton to survive. The 379.1 yards per game allowed this season ranked second-most in franchise history ahead of only the 399.0 yards allowed in 2001.
Curtis has been with Seattle since 2015 working primarily with the secondary as a defensive backs coach and safeties coach. He was given the title of defensive passing game coordinator in 2018.
Hurtt has been the team’s defensive line coach and assistant head coach since 2017.
Donatell has spent the past three seasons as the defensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos under head coach Vic Fangio. He coached with Carroll for five seasons when they were a part of the New York Jets coaching staff in the 1990’s, including Carroll’s lone season as head coach of the Jets in 1994. Donatell also spent one season in Seattle as the defensive coordinator at the University of Washington in 2008.