Clint Hurtt is in his first season as the Philadelphia Eagles defensive line coach. The 46-year-old Hurtt spent the previous seven seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, including the final two as defensive coordinator. But before Hurtt turned to coaching, he played for the Miami Hurricanes and was a teammate of the late, great Sean Taylor.
On Wednesday, during media rounds, Kevin Clark of ESPN asked Hurtt for a Sean Taylor story that spoke to how much a “bad—” the legendary safety was.
Hurtt didn’t hesitate.
“OK, we had a spring practice, I wanna say that spring practice was in 2004, and so Kellen Winslow (Jr.) ran over a young linebacker we had on the roster,” Hurtt said. “Might have been a freshman, you know, so it kind of felt like he was getting picked on a little bit. Sean was not in on the play, but he was pissed off, so he put his helmet back on, he was not supposed to be out there. And instead of running the defensive call, he went out there, his whole thing was to put a target on Kellen Winslow, so he can blow his helmet off. And he did exactly that. So, that’s probably the most bad— moment.”
It’s always good to hear a Sean Taylor story. Taylor, of course, spent his four NFL seasons with the Washington Redskins before he was tragically killed in a home invasion in November 2007 defending his family. Washington retired Taylor’s No. 21 jersey, and the franchise continues to honor his legacy.
Clint Hurtt with a Sean Taylor story: Kellen Winslow Jr ran over a freshman linebacker to pick on him. Sean Taylor wasn’t in on the play, wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near it. Taylor inserted himself into next rep and knocked Winslow’s helmet off. This Is Football. pic.twitter.com/0RVLoo4MZt
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) February 5, 2025
While Hurtt’s timeline may have been a bit off — Taylor and Winslow were NFL rookies in 2004 — it was another classic Taylor story. What’s most interesting is that it was Winslow and Taylor that Joe Gibbs was deciding between with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2004 NFL draft. Gibbs clearly made the right choice.
As for Winslow, he’s currently serving a 14-year prison sentence for rape and assault.
