Justin Hinds was hired as the defensive line coach by the Seahawks on February 22, 2024. Hinds enters his 16th season in coaching in 2024 and served as an assistant defensive line coach for the Chicago Bears from 2022-23.
In 2023, Hinds helped midseason acquisition Montez Sweat reach his first career Pro Bowl with a career-high 12.5 sacks. Sweat had at least 1.0 sack in each of the his first four games with the Bears and posted 6.0 sacks in seven games with Chicago, including a career-high 2.5 at Cleveland.
In his first season with the Bears in 2022, Hinds helped defensive line coach Travis Smith and defensive coordinator Alan Williams in developing the youngest on-field roster in the NFL. Hinds was influential in the development and growth of defensive end Dominique Robinson, who played in all 17 games as a rookie.
Prior to his arrival in Chicago, Hinds served as a defensive coordinator at Western Carolina in 2021. Despite missing the postseason, Hinds' rejuvenated defense helped the Catamounts to a 4-1 record in their final five games to close out the season.
Hinds served as defensive line coach at Central Michigan (2019-20) where he mentored two All-MAC selections along the defensive line in 2020 in Troy Hairston II and Mohamed Diallo. Hairston was the MAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2020 and led the MAC with 5.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss. In 2019, Hinds helped the program that won one game in 2018 to an 8-6 finish, a MAC West Division title, and a berth in the New Mexico Bowl. The Chippewas also ranked second in the league in total defense.
Before Central Michigan, Hinds was the defensive line coach in 2018 at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania. The Leopards finished among the top 25 teams in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in takeaways with 23, and they were second in the Patriot League with 15 interceptions.
Hinds helped cultivate similar success at Valdosta State. The Blazers program regularly ranked among the top teams in both the Gulf South Conference and NCAA Division II in interceptions, takeaways, first downs allowed, and third-down defense.
Hinds earned a bachelor of science degree from Rowan University and a master's degree from Wagner (N.Y.) College where he coached the defensive line and outside linebackers in 2012-13. Hinds was a two-time All-New Jersey Athletic Conference defensive lineman during a four-year career at Rowan and then served as a graduate assistant at Florida in 2015 after coaching the 2014 season as a graduate assistant at Mississippi State.
