Eagles Moves: Inside Look At New Coach Hires
Vic Fangio has begun to build his staff, and that means before the new Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator can begin to nail down his assistants, he first had to tear down, and that meant letting go of former defensive line coach Tracy Rocker and, perhaps, defensive backs coach D.K. McDonald, too.
Fangio has reportedly hired Clint Hurtt to be his defensive line coach, per NFL Media. The two go back to their days with the Chicago Bears when Fangio was the DC from 2015-16 and Hurtt was his outside linebackers coach.
Clint Hurtt with Pete Carroll
© Joe Nicholson, USA TODAY
Hurtt, 45, had been with the Seattle Seahawks the last two seasons as their defensive coordinator but had been with the club since 2017. Until his promotion to DC, he had been the Seahawks’ assistant head coach and defensive line coach.
NFL Media also reported that senior defensive assistant Karl Scott is leaving for a similar role with the Eagles as well. Scott, 38, just completed his second season as the Seahawks' secondary coach, helping develop players such as Tariq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon. He also coached defensive backs with the Minnesota Vikings, as well as Alabama at the collegiate level.
Hurtt will be charged with the continued development of Jordan Davis, who will enter his third season after being taken 13th overall in the draft, Jalen Carter, who was last year's ninth overall pick, Moro Ojomo, a seventh-round selection last year, and Milton Williams, who may be the most experienced defensive tackle returning if FLetcher Cox does not return.
Williams will turn 25 in April and was a third-round pick in 2021.
Hurtt's defense has had its struggles over the past two years, particularly this year when it finished near the bottom of the NFL in most major stats. However, he has helped develop some key players on that side of the ball, including pass-rushers Uchenna Nwosu, Darrell Taylor, and Boye Mafe.
For Fangio to reunite with Hurtt, the Eagles first had to part with holdover Rocker, whose defensive line helped the club pile up 70 sacks last year to become the first team to hit that number since the 1989 Minnesota Vikings put up 71.
The 70 sacks were just two short of tying the 1984 Chicago Bears for the most-ever by an NFL team.
Rocker was part of head coach Nick Sirianni’s original staff.
Scott’s role is still undefined. He could be taking McDonald’s place or joining the team in some sort of defensive specialty role.
McDonald was promoted from being the Eagles’ assistant defensive backs coach to the top job after Dennard Wilson wasn’t brought back last year. Wilson, who has interviewed for defensive coordinator openings in the current coaching cycle, left for the Baltimore Ravens when Sirianni opted not to keep him or promote him to DC.
Scott and Hurtt will work hand-in-hand to try to improve a pass defense that was ranked next-to-last in the league. Scott, in particular, will attempt to figure out a way to get James Bradberry to return to his solid play from two years ago if Bradberry does return after a down year.
Bradberry is set to turn 31 in August, and there's a chance the Eagles could move on with a few younger players such as Eli Rick and Kelee Ringo waiting in the wings.
