By Mazvita Maraire Posted on

Seahawks head coach search ramping up.

The Seattle Seahawks’ search for their next head coach is now in round two of the process with the team scheduling second-round interviews.

Per  Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Seahawks have second interviews set up for five coaches.

 Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero
• Las Vegas Raiders DC Patrick Graham
• New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka
• Los Angeles Rams DC Raheem Morris
• Dallas Cowboys DC Dan Quinn

These are not the team’s only candidates. By NFL rules the Seahawks and other teams in search of a HC must make a formal request to talk to assistant coaches from other NFL  Teams.  Teams can schedule interviews with candidates who are free agents or working on a college football team.

The Seahawks have reported interest in  Houston Texans  OC Bobby Slowik and the Lions  OC Ben Johnson.

According to several reports the Seahawks held first-round virtual interviews with Slowik on Sunday, and Johnson on Saturday while Smith’s was last Thursday.

Here is what each of the five second-round candidates brought to the table.

DAN QUINN

Once the  Seahawks announced the vacancy at head coach  Quinn was tabbed as the odds-on favorite because of his ties with the team. Quinn was the Seahawks defensive coordinator in 2013 and 2014 when the team played in the Super Bowl. Quinn was the defensive line coach in 2009-10. The Seahawks are not the only team interested in the  Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator. In addition to the Seahawks Quinn is scheduled to meet with the Washington Commander and Tennessee Titans this week.  As the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons Quinn compiled a 43-32 record from 2015-2020.

EJIRO EVERO

Evero completed his first season as the  Carolina Panthers defense coordinator and guided the defense to a number four ranking.

His work with the Denver Broncos the year before showed that he is an upcoming innovative defensive coach. Evero has second-round interviews scheduled with the Carolina Panthers whom he interviewed with last year and the Atlanta Falcons.

Form 2017-21 Evero was the Los Angeles Rams defensive passing game coordinator and secondary coach when the Rams won the Super Bowl.He was a San Francisco 49ers assistant on Jim Harbaugh’s staff from 2011-14 and stayed on under Jim Tomsula in 2015he Broncos ranked seventh in fewest yards allowed in 2022,

PATRICK GRAHAM

Graham is credited for turning the Las Vegas Raiders into a top-ten defensive unit and after doing the same with the Giants in 2020.  His seven years as a defensive assistant with the Patriots from  2009-15 show that he has learned from one of the game’s greatest coaches  

MIKE KAFKA

Kafka spent time on NFL rosters from 2010- 15 and is eight years removed from playing meaning that he understands today’s NFL Locker room better than the other candidates. In 2017 Kafka leaped the NFL after one year as an assistant coach at his alEjiro ma mater Northwestern.   

He worked five years as an offensive assistant with Andy Reid and the  Chiefs. Two of those years he was the passing game coordinator.  In 2022 Kafka was hired by  current Giants head coach  Brian Daboll as the team offense coordinator


RAHEEM MORRIS

Morris, 47, has been the Rams’ defensive coordinator for three seasons but is best known for his head-coaching stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2009-11, when he went 17-31. 

 In 2020  Morris was named interim coach of the Atlanta Falcons after Quinn in 2020 and finished the season 4-7. Morris is very familiar with Quinn having served as his assistant in Atlanta from 2015-20. What makes Morris attractive is his varied resume which translates to a lot of experience.

WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

The Seahawks are interested in two assistant coaches whose teams are still in the playoffs. Detroit Lions  OC Ben Johnson and the Baltimore Ravens  DC Mike MacDonald. For obvious reasons and by NFL policy the Seahawks cannot have personal interviews until their teams are out of the playoffs.  If either of the two teams make it to the Superbowl and the Seahawks have not hired their coach then it will be obvious who the team wants to be its head coach.  Some irony would be if Baltimore plays  Detroit in the Super Bowl and the Seahawks head coach job is still vacant. Odds on favorite is that the Seahawks will move on  Dan Quinn in the next week.  

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