American Football

Report: Seahawks request interview with Ben Johnson assistant

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Hawk sacks Engstrand
This is an actual photo of the Lions pass game coordinator getting sacked by AJ Hawk. | Photo by David Maxwell/Getty Images

Tanner Engstrand has been with the Lions since 2020.

The Seattle Seahawks didn’t hire Ben Johnson as head coach, but they could look to one of his assistants as offensive coordinator.

Albert Breer reports that the Seahawks have requested an interview with Detroit Lions pass game coordinator Tanner Engstrand. They’re not the only ones who have interviewed Engstrand in recent days.

We can safely rule out Engstrand for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots jobs, which have reportedly been filled by Liam Coen and Alex Van Pelt, respectively.

Engstrand was a quarterback at San Diego State, and unfortunately for him the only two photos we have in our library involve him getting sacked by A.J. Hawk back in 2003. He spent over a decade coaching at the University of San Diego, including a couple of years as a graduate assistant under Jim Harbaugh. Engstrand was San Diego’s offensive coordinator from 2011-2017 before joining Jim at Michigan as an offensive analyst in 2018.

Next step for Engstrand? The XFL. He was the OC for the DC Defenders, but the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the league ceased operations. That paved the way for Engstrand to join the Detroit Lions as a tight ends coach and eventually passing game coordinator.

The Lions have had a top-10 passing attack in each of the last two seasons, which has made both Ben Johnson and Engstrand prime candidates for jobs elsewhere. Ben will be staying with Detroit for at least another season as OC, but Engstrand’s future is TBD.

Seattle also has reported interest in former University of Washington offensive coordinator/playcaller Ryan Grubb.

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