The coaching staff Mike Macdonald has assembled with the Seattle Seahawks includes a healthy mix of old and new faces, though some of those new faces are shrouded in mystery.
A perfect example of such a coach is defensive coordinator Aden Durde, who holds the title of being the first British full-time coach in NFL history. Durde, 44, was the Dallas Cowboys defensive line coach for the past three years, though he mostly kept out of the public eye.
If Seattle defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins is to be believed, though, the Seahawks made a great hire. In fact, Hankins revealed that Durde was largely responsible for him coming to the Emerald City.
“Just having him as a D-line coach when I was in Dallas, just how much he loves the game and just my relationship with him. To leave Dallas and come with him to Seattle was definitely a great opportunity – (and) definitely got paid a little bit more money,” Hankins told Maura Dooley of Seattle Sports. “The situation that we had here, talking to AD and feeling comfortable. You know, him being my D-line coach, I feel like I could come travel with him or be with him, and I think this year is gonna be a good year.”
When asked what stands out most about Durde, Hankins heaped praise on his new defensive coordinator.
“Energy, juice. Great teacher and just fantastic leader, especially when he was on the D-line,” Hankins said. “Now he’s got the command of the whole defense, which I’m so happy for him and grateful for him. He’s going to get everybody on the same page. Practice is going to be fun. These last two days since I’ve been back here has been just going out there, learning, not really worried about making mistakes, but just going out there and having fun. He brings a great energy to the team and to the defense.”
Seattle’s defense struggled throughout the 2023 season, especially against the run. Durde has a tough task in building the defense back up, but the team is clearly confident that he can do it.
