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Marshawn Lynch of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates with running backs coach Sherman Smith after a touchdown against the St. Louis Rams at CenturyLink Field December 12, 2011 in Seattle, Washington. Seattle won 30-13. (Photo by Jay Drowns/Getty Images)
Marshawn Lynch of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates with running backs coach Sherman Smith after a touchdown against the St. Louis Rams at CenturyLink Field December 12, 2011 in Seattle, Washington. Seattle won
Chad Morton of the New York Giants heads up field on a punt return during a 30-21 victory over the Oakland Raiders at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, Calif. on Saturday, December 31, 2005. (Photo by Kirby Lee/NFLPhotoLibrary)
Chad Morton of the New York Giants heads up field on a punt return during a 30-21 victory over the Oakland Raiders at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, Calif. on Saturday, December 31, 2005. (Photo by Kirby
In this handout image provided by the NFL, Chad Morton of the Green Bay Packers poses for his NFL headshot circa 2011 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by NFL via Getty Images)
In this handout image provided by the NFL, Chad Morton of the Green Bay Packers poses for his NFL headshot circa 2011 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by NFL via Getty Images)
The Seahawks’ 2017 coaching staff will have a few major changes from years prior. Not only will the team be without key defensive assistant Rocky Seto for the first time since Pete Carroll came to Seattle in 2010, but running backs coach Sherman Smith also won’t return next season.
Smith’s departure was initially reported Monday night by Sporting News columnist Alex Marvez, who added that Smith would be replaced by assistant running backs coach Chad Morton. The Seattle Times then reported that assistant linebackers coach Lofa Tatupu also won’t return in 2017.
The team has made no official announcement of the changes.
Smith, 62, was an original Seahawk, joining the team as a second-round pick out of Miami of Ohio in 1976 and rushing for 3,429 yards and 28 touchdowns in parts of seven years before joining the San Diego Chargers for his final NFL season in 1983. He began his coaching career at Redmond Junior High after his retirement, making stops at the high school, college and pro levels before coming back to Seattle.
Smith rejoined the Seahawks as running backs coach under Carroll in 2010, helping Marshawn Lynch and the Seahawks rank no lower than fourth in the league in rushing from 2012 to 2015 before finishing a disappointing 25th in 2016.
Smith will be replaced by the 39-year-old Morton, a seven-year NFL veteran who joined Carroll’s staff in 2014 as a special teams assistant and began working with running backs a year later in addition to his duties on special teams.
Tatupu, 34, returned to the Seahawks in 2015 after retiring from the NFL following an injury-shortened six-year playing career in Seattle that included Pro Bowl selections in each of his first three seasons and a first-team All-Pro campaign in 2007.
Under Tatupu and linebackers coach Michael Barrow, middle linebacker Bobby Wagner and weakside linebacker K.J. Wright enjoyed the finest seasons of their pro careers in 2016, with Wagner earning first-team All-Pro honors and Wright earning his first Pro Bowl berth.
According to The Seattle Times, Tatupu will pursue career options outside of NFL coaching. Seattle reportedly added former Chicago Bears outside linebackers coach Clint Hurtt in January, but have not yet formally announced any additions to the staff aside from Seto’s departure.
Seto, one of two Seahawks assistant head coaches along with offensive line coach Tom Cable, announced he was leaving the team to enter the ministry in January.
Visit seattlepi.com for more Seattle Seahawks news. Contact sports reporter Stephen Cohen at stephencohen@seattlepi.com or @scohenPI.
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