Is change coming for Patriots? Mike Vrabel weighs defensive coordinator options

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Is change coming for Patriots? Mike Vrabel weighs defensive coordinator options

Mark Daniels · MassLive

Tue, Feb 10, 2026 ·

2 min read

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FOXBOROUGH – When Mike Vrabel met with the media for his final press conference of the 2025 season, the Patriots coach said he expects changes when it comes to the team’s roster and coaching staff.

That’s not unusual. It’s a part of every NFL team’s offseason. Change is inevitable.

For the Patriots , however, what was unusual was that Vrabel’s team used two defensive coordinators last season. After Terrell Williams stepped away to receive treatment for prostate cancer, Zak Kuhr stepped up as the defensive play caller.

Could he remain there?

On Tuesday, Vrabel was asked if Kuhr would maintain the defensive coordinator job.

“There’ll be a lot of things that we’ll have to work through there,” Vrabel said. “We’ll have to work through — T’s healthy and been given a release to be back at work. So again, I’ll work through all those things here in the next couple days, weeks, however long those decisions take.”

Williams, 51, was with Vrabel in Tennessee as the Titans’ defensive line coach and assistant head coach from 2018 to 2023. He spent the 2024 season in Detroit as the Lions’ defensive line coach/run game coordinator.

When the Patriots hired Vrabel, he named Williams his defensive coordinator. The veteran assistant, however, dealt with multiple medical situations last year. He missed all of OTAs and minicamp due to a “scary” medical situation before returning to New England for training camp.

Williams called defensive plays in the Patriots’ season opener against Las Vegas . The next week, he went to urgent care, thinking he had the stomach flu. Williams did, but doctors also discovered prostate cancer.

Williams spent most of the season away from the Patriots, but was around the team more toward the end of the regular season. He traveled with the team for the first time last week for Super Bowl 60 after being declared cancer-free .

In his place, Kuhr did an outstanding job.

The 37-year-old started the season as the Patriots’ inside linebackers coach. The Patriots’ defense showed dominance throughout the season with Kuhr calling the plays. The team finished fourth in the NFL in points allowed and eighth in total defense. In the playoffs, the Patriots allowed 13.8 points per game.

It’ll be interesting to see how Vrabel handles his defensive staff going forward. The Patriots coach also has the option to bring in his former Titans defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, who was let go by the New York Giants after they fired head coach Brian Daboll.

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