Current role: Durde has been the defensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks since 2024.
- Durde joined the Seahawks along with head coach Mike Macdonald in 2024. Immediately, Macdonald and his team produced a 10-7 record last season and then a 14-3 record this season. Seattle didn’t make the playoffs last year, but the Seahawks recently clinched the NFC West title and first place in the conference heading into the playoffs. It was the franchise’s first division title since 2020 and first appearance as a top seed since 2014. The team’s 14 wins this season set a new franchise record.
- Durde has been a part of four NFL teams since 2014 and spent the most time with the Dallas Cowboys during two different stints. He got his start in the league as an intern for the Cowboys in 2014-15, then returned to Dallas from 2021-23 as defensive line coach.
- Durde has previously coached abroad in the national BAFA leagues. He was the defensive coordinator for the London Warriors from 2011 to 2016, overlapping his NFL responsibilities a bit in recent years. Durde is from North London, England.
Local connection: Durde has worked for the Falcons before, serving as a coaching intern in 2016, a defensive assistant in 2018-19 and outside linebackers coach in 2020. Another possible tie is Jeff Ulbrich, who was the interim defensive coordinator during Durde’s final season in Atlanta. Ulbrich joined the Falcons last season as defensive coordinator and turned the unit’s pass rush around from second to last in sacks in 2024 to second in sacks in 2025.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank said Thursday he wouldn’t dictate to the new head coach how to build the staff, but Blank would recommend retaining Brich given the recent improvement of the defense under his watch.
Why he is a candidate: Durde knows Atlanta and the Falcons, and since leaving the organization, he has only improved his resume. Durde made the playoffs in each of his three consecutive seasons with the Cowboys. All three years they finished 12-5. The lowest ranking for Dallas’ defense was 19th in yards allowed in 2021, which was Durde’s first season. However, the unit was seventh in points allowed that year, so it evened out a bit. Otherwise, the Cowboys defense ranked fifth in both aspects during Durde’s final season in Dallas. There has been an improvement from year to year.
Given the Falcons’ recent desire to improve their pass rush, the Cowboys were tied for 20th in sacks the season before Durde arrived. They then finished third once and 13th twice with Durde in charge of the defensive line.
A similar theme played out in Seattle once Durde joined there. The Seahawks went from 11th in sacks in 2023 to eighth and then seventh between 2024 and 2025. The unit as a whole has followed a similar trajectory. Before Durde, the Seahawks were 25th in points allowed and 20th in yards allowed. Then, they were 14th and 23rd respectively in 2024 and first and sixth respectively in 2025.
All this to say that with Durde’s help, defenses have statistically improved. This is attractive to a team like the Falcons because they have a rather young defensive core, including two 2025 first-round picks in edge rushers Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. Not to mention the other two draft picks, safety Xavier Watts and cornerback Billy Bowman Jr. And then there are defensive linemen Bradon Dorlus and Ruke Orhorhoro, who just completed their sophomore seasons. There is a lot of talent to be nurtured and developed.
