Cody Rager

Coaching/Front Office Notes: Eagles, Bears, Jets, Browns

Clint Hurtt is heading to Philadelphia. After having spent the past two seasons as the Seahawks defensive coordinator, the veteran coach is joining the Eagles as their new defensive line coach, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Hurtt worked with defensive linemen and linebackers in Chicago before joining the Seahawks as their assistant head coach/defensive line coach in 2017. He earned a promotion to defensive coordinator in 2022 and spent two seasons in that role. Seattle’s defense didn’t fare all that well with Hurtt at the helm, as the defense never finished better than 26th in points allowed and 20th in yards allowed.

Still, Hurtt has earned a reputation as a reliable DL coach. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Hurtt had multiple offers to coach defensive linemen, but he ended up opting for the Eagles opportunity.

Pelissero notes that the Eagles are also expected to hire one of Hurtt’s assistants from Seattle. Karl Scott is joining the Eagles as their new DBs coach. Scott spent the past two seasons as Seattle’s secondary coach/passing game coordinator.

More coaching and front office notes from around the NFL…

  • The Bears will interview Chargers wide receivers coach Chris Beatty for the same role, according to Pelissero. Meanwhile, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that veteran coach Ike Hilliard will also interview for the Chargers job. After a long college coaching career, Beatty took his first NFL job with the Chargers in 2021 as their WRs coach. Over the past few years, he’s helped guide the likes of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams to 1,000-yard seasons. Hilliard has spent time as the WRs coach with Washington, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh, and he was most recently on the coaching staff at Auburn. Hilliard worked alongside offensive coordinator Shane Waldron when the two were in Washington.
  • The Jets are hiring Tony Dews as their running backs coach, per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports. Dews was Derrick Henry‘s coach in Tennessee between 2018 and 2022, and he spent the 2023 campaign as the Titans tight ends coach. He’ll be replacing Taylor Embree, who was let go after the season. Meanwhile, Connor Hughes of SNYtv reports that the Jets interviewed Rob Moore for their WRs coach job. Moore also recently worked for the Titans, spending the past six years as their receivers coach.
  • The Browns have hired Jacques Cesaire as their defensive line coach, per Pelissero. After playing his entire career with the Chargers, Cesaire broke into the NFL coaching ranks as the Bills assistant defensive line coach in 2020. He spent the past two seasons with the Texans, serving as the team’s defensive line coach. He’ll be replacing Ben Bloom, although Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com writes that the coach could still stick in Cleveland in a different role for the 2024 campaign.
  • Saints college scouting director Cody Rager is heading to the Broncos, according to Nick Underhill of NOF Network. Neil Stratton passes along that Rager will be Denver’s new vice president of player personnel. Rager spent the past nine seasons in New Orleans, including the past three as the assistant college scouting director. Rager got his NFL start with the Dolphins back in 2012.