Seahawks request interview with Joe Whitt Jr for DC role

The search for the Seattle Seahawks’ next defensive coordinator is ongoing, and a new name that’s surfaced is a man who’s won a Super Bowl as a defensive assistant.

Tom Pelissero reported on Wednesday that Joe Whitt Jr, the current Dallas Cowboys passing game coordinator and secondary coach, is the latest entrant into Seattle’s pool of candidates.

That picture you see of Whitt at the top of the page has him in a Green Bay Packers shirt. We don’t have many pics of Whitt that we can legally use but to erase any confusion, Whitt spent much of his time in the NFL with the Packers from 2008-2018. He started as a quality control coach in 2008, then spent the ensuing nine seasons as Green Bay’s cornerbacks coach. General Manager John Schneider will surely have familiarity with Whitt, as Schneider was still with the Packers prior to Seattle hiring him in 2010.

Over the past four seasons (including his last one in Green Bay), he’s been a passing game coordinator for the Packers, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, and now the Cowboys.

Of course, Dallas’ defensive coordinator is former Seahawks DC Dan Quinn, but that might not be the case with Quinn attracting much interest for head coaching roles.

The Cowboys ranked 2nd in dropback EPA/play, 2nd in overall DVOA, and 2nd in pass defense DVOA. Cornerback Trevon Diggs had as many interceptions (11) as the entire Seahawks team… and probably as many yards allowed but still, Dallas’ defense had a tremendous turnaround in just one season with Quinn as DC and Whitt as passing game coordinator.

Of the reported candidates from outside the organization — Sean Desai, Ed Donatell, and Whitt Jr — only Whitt has no previous defensive coordinator experience at any level of football.