Under new coach Mike Macdonald, the Seattle Seahawks intend to appoint Aden Durde as their defensive coordinator, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Friday.
Under former coordinator Dan Quinn, Durde oversaw the defensive line for the Dallas Cowboys for the previous three seasons. The Atlanta Falcons are the only other NFL team he has coached for. He was the outside linebackers coach in 2020, a defensive assistant from 2018 to 2019, and a coaching intern in 2016, all during Quinn’s tenure as head coach. Between 2014 and 2015, Durde interned with the Cowboys before starting his NFL coaching career.
In his press conference, Macdonald—the former defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens—stated that he will call Seattle’s defensive plays initially, with the intention of eventually giving that responsibility to a DC “when it becomes obvious that someone else is ready to go and we see it the same way.”
Clint Hurtt, who oversaw Seattle’s defense for the previous two seasons before joining the Philadelphia Eagles as their defensive line coach following Pete Carroll’s firing by the Seahawks in January, is replaced by Durde. A defense that finished 25th in points allowed and 30th in yards allowed in 2023 underperformed under Durde’s leadership. Seattle allowed the most rushing yards of any team in the NFL during that two-year period, finishing 30th against the run in 2022 and one spot worse the previous season.
Durde, a London native, spent six seasons as a linebacker in the NFL Europe with the Scottish Claymores and Hamburg Sea Devils. He also served as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs and Carolina Panthers practice squads. He was the London Warriors’ defensive coordinator for six seasons following his playing career. In his capacity as NFLUK’s head of operations, he oversaw the International Player Pathway Program.
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