HEADLINES

Zak Kuhr

No Timeline For Patriots DC Terrell Williams’ Return

June 5th, 2025 at 7:45pm CST by Ben Levine

Terrell Williams remains away from the Patriots after suffering a “health scare” in May. Still, the Patriots new defensive coordinator remains as connected to the organization as he can possibly be.

Inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr has been leading the defense throughout OTAs, and the coach addressed the uncertain situation with reporters yesterday. Most notably, Kuhr revealed that there’s no timeline for Williams’ return, although he said the coordinator checks in on his staff and players daily via video conference.

Kuhr also addressed his evolving role, noting that he’s simply an extension of Williams and head coach MikeVrabel. Before working with Vrabel for several years in Tennessee, Kuhr had a long stay in college football, with the majority of his work actually coming on the offensive side of the ball (including a stint as offensive coordinator at Texas State). The coach cited that experience as he explained his evolving responsibilities in New England.

“I’ve been a coordinator before,” Kuhr said (via ESPN’s Mike Reiss). “I know it was at the college level [offensive coordinator] but I’ve been in front of a unit before and run meetings. I wouldn’t say it’s anything too new … it’s helped to have a guy like [assistant] Vinny DePalma in there; he has taken a lot of lifting off my shoulders [with inside linebackers]. He’s going to be a great coach.”

As Kuhr navigates the uncertain situation, he hasn’t only leaned on his fellow coaches. The fill-in DC said he’s also relied on free agent acquisition Robert Spillane, who has provided a “coach-like presence on the field” (per Reiss). Specifically, Spillane has been relaying calls from Kuhr to his teammates, and the coach has empowered the veteran to communicate the play call in his own way.

The 36-year-old coach will continue to be in the spotlight, at least until Williams returns to practice. If the defensive coordinator doesn’t make a return, it sounds like the Patriots are more than comfortable rolling with their fill-in. As Reiss writes, Williams previously described Kuhr as a “superstar” in the making, and it sounds like that sentiment is held by other members of the staff.

Patriots DC Terrell Williams Dealing With ‘Health Scare’

May 10th, 2025 at 12:27pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Patriots defensive coordinator Terrell Williams is not with the team at rookie minicamp due to a “health scare,” according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

Williams, previously the Lions’ defensive line coach, was visiting home in Detroit when the medical issue arose. Doctors advised him to stay there instead of returning to New England for the start of rookie minicamp. He declined to give any details about the specifics of his health, though he said he would in the future.

“I want to make it clear, I’m away from the building, but I’m not away from the team,” said Williams (via Reiss). “I’m working remotely right now. Hopefully I’ll be able to get back soon and just be in the building and be around everyone.” 

Williams said that the health scare was “traumatic” and a “wake-up call,” but indicated that his medical situation had stabilized.

“Where I am now, my mind is clear,” he said (via Reiss). “I’m moving around. I’m happy. Everything is good. I’m just looking forward to getting back to Foxborough and seeing everybody in person.”

Patriots Announce 2025 Coaching Staff

February 5th, 2025 at 9:56pm CST by Ely Allen

Along with the hiring of new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel came the addition of two new coordinators, as well, in offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and defensive coordinator Terrell Williams. Each coordinator went about building their new staffs, with lots of new names arriving in New England over the past few weeks. ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported the final lineup today.

On offense, we had already heard about the hirings of quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant, wide receivers coach Todd Downing, and offensive assistant Riley Larkin. We had also been informed that Thomas Brown, Doug Marrone, and Jason Houghtaling had been hired, but we weren’t yet made aware of their positions. Reiss’ report tells us that Brown will serve as tight ends coach and passing game coordinator, Marrone will be offensive line coach, and Houghtaling will be assistant offensive line coach under Marrone.

New information tells us that, joining Houghtaling as an assistant offensive line coach under Marrone, Robert Kugler has been retained from last year’s staff. Kugler held the same position with the Texans and Panthers before joining the Patriots as an assistant offensive line coach last year. We also learned that Tony Dews has been hired as running backs coach. Dews served the same position under Vrabel during his tenure in Tennessee (including one year as tight ends coach) before spending last year as running backs coach for the Jets. Lastly on offense, Chuckie Keeton‘s coaching journey continues in New England after he debuted for the Seahawks as an offensive assistant last year.

On defense, we had already heard of the hirings of Zak Kuhr, Scott Booker, and Clint McMillan, as well as the retention of Ben McAdoo, but thanks to Reiss, we now know that Kuhr will serve as inside linebackers coach, Booker as safeties coach, and McMillan as defensive line coach. McAdoo served last year as a senior offensive assistant for the team, and in 2025, he will switch sides of the ball as a senior defensive assistant. Reiss also informed us that defensive assistant Vinny DePalma was retained in the same role. Last year was his first year in the NFL — or coaching period — after finishing his collegiate playing career as a linebacker at Boston College.

Reiss also reported four defensive hirings. We had heard that the Patriots were targeting Colts assistant defensive backs coach Justin Hamilton, and Reiss has him listed as the team’s new safeties coach. Hamilton held a defensive quality control coaching role on the Titans during Vrabel’s last year in Tennessee before landing his role in Indianapolis last year. The Patriots have also hired Mike Smith as outside linebackers coach. Smith has held the same role previously with the Chiefs, Packers, and Vikings but spent last year away from coaching. Lastly, the Patriots announced the hirings of Milton Patterson and Kevin Richardson as defensive assistants. Patterson makes his NFL coaching debut after five seasons as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Florida A&M. Richardson is likewise debuting as a coach in the NFL following two seasons as assistant defensive backs coach at Illinois.

Finally, on special teams, we learned that Tom Quinn has been retained as assistant special teams coach. We knew that special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer had been retained, and while we don’t know his exact fate, Coby Tippett, a special teams assistant coach last year, was not included in today’s staff announcements. We also learned that Deron Mayo was retained as strength and conditioning coach despite his brother’s dismissal as head coach.

There you have it: the Patriots 2025 coaching staff. There are lots of areas that need improvement in order for the Patriots to see success next season, but it all starts with the coaching staff. Vrabel returns with head coaching experience under his belt, and he will try to bring some of the success he had as head coach at Tennessee with him to New England.

Mike Vrabel, Eliot Wolf Will Both Report To Patriots Ownership

January 23rd, 2025 at 7:31pm CST by Ben Levine

Since the Patriots hired Mike Vrabel as their head coach, there have been some questions regarding the organizational hierarchy. Despite the major changes, it sounds like the team’s operations should remain status quo. According to Albert Breer of SI.com, both Vrabel and executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf will report to ownership, an indication that there’s no singular leader in the front office.

When Vrabel was brought on, it was assumed that he’d have a major influence over player personnel. That will surely be the case, but it sounds like it will be a collaborative approach vs. the former totalitarian approach under Bill Belichick. While last season’s results left plenty to be desired, Breer notes that Wolf and former HC Jerod Mayo already started making an effort to build an actual football ops department, something that was sorely lacking.

The next step could see the Vrabel/Wolf duo look to improve the “player-development side” of operations. The Patriots had “next to nothing” in that regard under Belichick, meaning there was effectively nobody overseeing the development of bottom-of-the-roster players and practice squad players. The Patriots could also look to improve their football analytics/research department (with Marshall Oium a name to watch) and their sports science department.

Following a dismal season in New England, it was thought that Mayo may not be the only casualty. However, Breer notes that ownership was impressed by Wolf during his first season at the helm. The executive worked on “modernizing the scouting department” and building out football operations. Wolf’s strategy won’t be completely foreign to Vrabel; as Breer writes, Tennessee’s Chad Brinker had a similar Green Bay-centric grading system, so New England’s head coach is already familiar with the perspective.

Vrabel is also familiar with a handful of other members of New England’s front office. Ohio State alums Camren Williams and Pat Stewart are the Patriots college and pro scouting directors (respectively). In fact, Vrabel recruited Williams to the Buckeyes when he was on Ohio State’s staff. Of course, Vrabel has also influenced some new additions to the front office dynamic. Ryan Cowden, who previously held multiple high-ranking roles in the Titans front office, was brought over to New England earlier this offseason. Breer notes that Cowden will definitively be under Wolf in the franchise’s pecking order.

Vrabel also continues to add to his coaching staff. According to Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post, Zak Kuhr has agreed to join the Patriots. Kuhr spent four seasons working under Vrabel in Tennessee, and he spent this past season on the Giants defensive coaching staff. Meanwhile, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports that John Streicher is also joining the staff in New England. “Stretch” spent this past year as the Rams game management coordinator, and he also has experience working alongside Vrabel in Tennessee.

The Patriots’ first season in their post-Belichick era revealed some major cracks in the organization’s foundation. While the team still isn’t operating with a traditional front office hierarchy, it doesn’t sound like there will be any power struggle between some of the team’s major voices.