FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots are opening their defensive coordinator place by transferring Terrell Williams, who missed the 2025 season after being identified with prostate most cancers, to a high-ranking function on coach Mike Vrabel’s employees, a supply confirmed.
Williams was not too long ago cleared to return, based on Vrabel, who famous Tuesday that there have been issues to work via with the configuration of the employees.
Inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr served because the defensive playcaller in Williams’ absence this previous season and thus is a number one candidate for the function.
When Vrabel was employed as Patriots head coach in January 2025, he focused Williams for the job, citing his knack for making significant connections with gamers as particularly precious. Williams had beforehand served as line of defense coach on Vrabel’s employees with the Tennessee Titans.
When Williams had a self-described “well being scare” within the spring that saved him away from the staff, Kuhr — additionally a former assistant on Vrabel’s employees in Tennessee — stepped ahead to function de facto coordinator throughout organized staff actions.
Williams returned for coaching camp and the primary week of the common season, earlier than leaving when identified with prostate most cancers. That after once more thrust Kuhr, 37, into the playcalling function, and the protection in the end grew to become the spine of the Patriots’ run to Tremendous Bowl LX.
NFL Community first reported the information.
