Dallas assistants keep getting hired.
The Dallas Cowboys have filled their defensive coordinator vacancy with Mike Zimmer, but they are also seeing some of their own staff move on to become coordinators for other franchises. Dan Quinn, whose departure opened up the job in Dallas, took Joe Whitt with him to be the DC for the Washington Commanders. And now it is being reported that Aden Durde is making the same leap to the Seattle Seahawks.
The #Seahawks plan to hire Aden Durde as their defensive coordinator, per source.
Born in England, Durde played in NFL Europe and the NFL before embarking on a coaching career. Now, at age 44, he takes a big role on Mike Macdonald’s staff in Seattle. pic.twitter.com/rLHjppPUX6
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 9, 2024
It is interesting to note that Durde and Whitt were frequently mentioned as possible internal hires to replace Quinn over the past few weeks. They both now go to situations where they will have more than a single season to prove themselves with new coaches.
Durde was a key part of Quinn’s staff as the defensive line coach, which was a big part of Quinn’s scheme. He had players like Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence to work with, so his success is naturally dependent on finding and developing talent as well as working with what he inherits in his new job.
He will be missed, and not just for his coaching prowess. As arguably the biggest success to date of the NFL’s international player development program, he was a unique presence with his British accent. One of the more humorous touches of the Sounds from the Sideline videos put out by the Dallas media team was using a special font for Durde’s close captioning.
It is a deserving promotion, and it also helps Zimmer in getting more of “his guys” onto his staff.
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