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Jul 28, 2025; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel (red sleeves) and defensive coordinator Terrell Williams watch players during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images
After he spent most of the 2025 season as play caller, the New England Patriots officially promoted Zak Kuhr from inside linebackers coach to defensive coordinator earlier this month. Meanwhile, Kuhr’s predecessor as DC, Terrell Williams, has moved to a different position on staff.
Speaking to the media for the first time since the change, Mike Vrabel gave some insight on Wednesday into the thought process behind reshuffling the deck on the defensive side of the ball.
“There are a lot of things in play there. I think we’re just trying to figure out what’s best defensively for us, what’s best for the staff organizationally and being able to get everybody’s strengths where they need to be,” Vrabel explained.
“I know that Terrell will be able to help me on a lot of things, help the football team, help the defense, continue to have a big role in that, and then just seeing where things progressed with Zak and the comfort level that we had there. So, that’s where we ended up.”
Williams and Kuhr arrived in New England alongside Vrabel last offseason. While the hierarchy on the defensive side was initially set with the former at the top and the latter in an assistant role, Williams’ medical issues — he missed time in the offseason after a “health scare” and was diagnosed with prostate cancer in early September — forced the organization to adapt on the fly.
As part of that process, Kuhr expanded his role and began working as de facto defensive coordinator. He was the boots-on-the-ground DC while Williams worked remotely in the spring, and later took over as play caller one week into the regular season.
While his role will therefore only marginally change in 2026, Williams’ outlook remains up in the air. Now cancer-free, he will work closely with both Vrabel and the defense while holding some as-of-yet unknown title.
“He will [get a title] when I get back to Foxborough,” Vrabel said. “I don’t want to sit here and misspeak and figure out where that ends up. I’ve got a plan for him, and I think that a vision is better than a title, necessarily. So, I don’t want to say something and not have that be an accurate depiction of what ends up happening once we work through a lot of different things.”
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