Seahawks request interview with Cowboys’ Joe Whitt Jr. for DC job

The Seahawks are moving quick to find a replacement for former defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Seattle requested permission to interview Cowboys defensive passing game coordinator/secondary coach Joe Whitt Jr. for their DC vacancy.

Whitt has been coaching in the NFL since 2007. He’s bounced around recently, spending time with the Packers (2018), Browns (2019), Falcons (2020) and Cowboys (2021) over the past four years. Despite all of his roles, he’s maintained his job title of defensive passing game coordinator/secondary coach.

As NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport notes, Whitt Jr. is a candidate to take over for Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn if/when he gets a HC gig. Seattle’s request could force the Cowboys’ hand, so it will be interesting to see how everything unfolds.

We learned Tuesday that the Seahawks were moving on from Norton. The veteran coach had served as the team’s defensive coordinator for the past four seasons, a stretch that has seen unusually poor results on that side of the ball. We’ve already learned of three potential replacements for the role. In addition to Whitt, Seattle also requested permission to interview Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai and Broncos defensive coordinator Ed Donatell.