Josh Bynes, who already has a coaching position lined up, announced his retirement in December. Bynes will also skip the quality control phase and head to Seattle to work with former coach Mike Macdonald.
After three successful seasons as a Raven, Bynes will shortly get back together with his old defensive coordinator. Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 tweets that he accepted an opportunity to become a member of the Seahawks’ staff.
This occurred subsequent to an intriguing derby for the seasoned linebacker. The Chargers and Ravens spoke with Bynes throughout the offseason; it is unknown if other teams made offers to the former linebacker.
The 34-year-old Bynes will take over as the Seahawks’ backup linebackers coach. He will be a member of Macdonald’s first Seattle staff alongside fellow recent LB retiree Daren Bates.
Bates, who is well-known for his work with special teams, has joined the Seahawks as an assistant ST coach. Bynes should be pretty familiar with the system the Seahawks intend to use, given his history with Macdonald.
Bynes, who was originally a 2011 UDFA for the Ravens, came back to Baltimore in 2019. During that time, Macdonald served as his position coach, and under Don Martindale, he taught the Ravens’ linebackers from 2018 to 20.
By the time Bynes returned to Maryland for his last tour of duty (2021–2022), Macdonald had become the defensive coordinator. That was Bynes’ final season in the league.
Bynes started the 2022 season for the Ravens despite being a journeyman. For the first seven games of the season, the team relied on the veteran in addition to Patrick Queen, and they maintained that lineup until they acquired Roquan Smith prior to the 2022 deadline. After that trade, Bynes stayed with the Ravens on a practice squad contract but did not play.
After players like Dont’a Hightower and NaVorro Bowman, Bynes will go straight from linebacker duties to an NFL staff. He will now enter the coaching field and work with Macdonald, senior assistant Leslie Frazier, and DC Aden Durde.
According to Matt Zenitz of 247Sports, the Seahawks are also anticipated to appoint Jeff Howard as their defensive backs coach. In Minnesota, Howard served as Frazier’s assistant. From 2020 to 2022, he served as Joe Woods’ pass-game coordinator in Cleveland, coaching the Browns’ wide receivers. The previous season, he briefly filled in as the Chargers’ linebackers coach.
