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Patriots coaching staff hirings and rumors: Vrabel tabs McDaniels, Williams as top coordinators

What is Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel looking for in his offensive coordinator?
What is Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel looking for in his offensive coordinator? 07:03

FOXBORO -- Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has a coaching staff in New England. Vrabel has his top two lieutenants in place, bringing in Josh McDaniels and Terrell Williams as his offensive and defensive coordinator, respectively. 

The Patriots officially announced the hirings on Wednesday. Here's the new coaching hierarchy in New England.

Head coach: Mike Vrabel
Offensive coordinator: Josh McDaniels
Defensive coordinator: Terrell Williams
Special teams coordinator: Jeremy Springer

In McDaniels and Williams, Vrabel has added coordinators with some real experience to the New England staff. Now they'll look to fill positional coaching roles on the team as they get an early jump on the 2025 season. 

Here's all the news surrounding Vrabel's coaching staff in New England, which will be updated as hirings and rumors are reported: 

Sean McVay confirms John Streicher leaving Rams for Patriots

While the Patriots haven't announced anything yet, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay confirmed that John Streicher is leaving his staff for Mike Vrabel's in New England on Thursday.  

Streicher is expected to serve an Ernie Adams-like role for Vrabel with the Patriots, after he was McVay's game management assistant in 2024.

Streicher is no stranger to Vrabel, having spent six seasons with him in Tennessee from 2018-23. He spent three seasons as a football development coordinator and two seasons as the assistant to the head coach for Vrabel, before Streicher became director of football administration in 2023.

Former Jets RB coach joining Vrabel's staff in New England

Tony Dews, who was the running backs coach of the New York Jets last season, is reportedly joining the Patriots staff, according to Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic. Dews was with Vrabel in Tennessee from 2018-2023, serving as his running backs coach for five seasons before taking over as the Titans tight end coach in 2023.

His stint with the Titans was Dews' first in the NFL, after he had been coaching at the college level since 1998. He's coached both sides of the football, including a year as the defensive line coach at Holy Cross in 2003, but has been an offensive coach since 2007.  

Patriots hiring Terrell Williams as defensive coordinator

Vrabel has his top two coordinators in place, with the team reportedly set to hire Terrell Williams as their new defensive coordinator, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter and Mike Reiss

None of the hirings have been made official by the Patriots, but should be announced at some point this week. There is now a true hierarchy in New England, with Vrabel at the top, Josh McDaniels in charge of the offense, and Williams leading the defense.

Special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer is reportedly set to remain on Vrabel's staff after a solid first season in New England in 2024.

Patriots set to hire Josh McDaniels as offensive coordinator

McDaniels is set to be New England's offensive coordinator for the third time of his NFL coaching career. The Patriots are reportedly set to hire McDaniels for the job, according to Ian Rapoport. 

The move was first reported by Barstool's Kirk Minihane, who said the hiring was "imminent" Tuesday afternoon.

McDaniels had two previous stints as New England's offensive coordinator, and was on Bill Belichick's staff for all six of the franchise's Super Bowl victories. He has never coached with Vrabel, but was on the Patriots staff when Vrabel was a player.

He should be a solid OC for quarterback Drake Maye, given McDaniels' track record with QBs in New England

Patriots reportedly "targeting" Terrell Williams as next defensive coordinator

According to a report by Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports247Sports, Vrabel and the Patriots are "targeting" Detroit Lions defensive line coach/run game coordinator Terrell Williams to be the team's new defensive coordinator. Williams already has a working relationship with Vrabel, after he was one of his top assistants in Tennessee. 

Williams was a defensive line coach for six different colleges from 1998-2011, including stints at Purdue and Texas A&M, before he made his way to the NFL in 2012. He was the defensive line coach for the Oakland Raiders (2012-14) and Miami Dolphins (2015-2017) before he joined Vrabel's staff in Tennessee in 2018. He was the Titans defensive line coach for six years, and added assistant head coach to his business card for the 2023 season. 

After Vrabel was fired by the Titans, Williams joined the staff in Detroit for the 2024 campaign, serving as Dan Campbell's run game coordinator and defensive line coach. Detroit was a dominant run team last season, rushing for 182 yards per game while averaging 4.3 yards per attempt, ranking fifth in the NFL.

Patriots interview Vikings assistant offensive coordinator for OC position

The Patriots had Minnesota Vikings assistant offensive coordinator/assistant quarterbacks coach Grant Udinski in for an interview on Monday, according to NFL insider Albert Breer. The 28-year-old has been with the Vikings since 2022, when he started as an assistant to head coach Kevin O'Connell.

Udinski played college ball at both Davidson and Towson, converting from a tight end to a defensive end when he transferred to Towson in 2016. He started his coaching career immediately after graduating, when he was a graduate assistant at Baylor. He spent just one season coaching in the NCAA, and moved to the NFL in 2020 when he was hired as a coaching assistant for the Carolina Panthers. He stayed in that role through the 2021 season, when he left to join O'Connell staff in Minnesota.

Udinski is considered a "rising star in the field," according to Breer, but the Patriots aren't the only team interested in his services. Breer also reported that Udinski is a finalist for the Seattle Seahawks OC job on Tuesday. 

The Patriots have now interviewed Udinski, Bears OC/interim head coach Thomas Brown, and Chargers passing game coordinator Marcus Brady for their offensive coordinator position.

Patriots request interview with Dolphins OLB coach Ryan Crow

The Patriots have requested permission to interview Miami Dolphins outside linebackers coach Ryan Crow for defensive coordinator job, according to ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss.

Crow has been coaching since 2011 with stints in the NCAA and NFL, including some time with Vrabel in Tennessee. He joined Vrabel in Nashville in 2018 to be a defensive assistant, and was named the Titans assistant to special teams coordinator in 2020. Crow then went back to the defensive side when he took over as Tennessee's outside linebackers coach in 2021, a position he held until Vrabel was fired in 2023. 

Special teams coach Jeremy Springer remaining with Patriots

While the New England offense and defense struggled throughout the 2024 season, the Patriots special teams had a solid year. They were the No. 2 unit in the NFL under special teams coach Jeremy Springer, who will remain on the staff under Vrabel, according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport.

Under Springer, New England's Brenden Schooler earned first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors. Springer, 35, had previously served as a special teams assistant for the Los Angeles Rams from 2022-23.

Scott Peters leaves Patriots to take over as Bengals offensive line coach

The Patriots will need another new offensive line coach in 2025, Scott Peters has been hired by the Cincinnati Bengals to serve the same position. Assistant offensive line coach Michael McCarthy is heading to Cincinnati with Peters, the Bengals announced on Monday.

This will be the fourth straight year that the Patriots will have a new offensive line coach.

Patriots interview Thomas Brown for offensive coordinator job

The Patriots interviewed Chicago Bears interim head coach/offensive coordinator Thomas Brown last week, according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport.

(It's interesting that Rapoport termed New England's OC job as "vacant" considering there has been no confirmed news on Alex Van Pelt's future with the team. But Rapoport's report would indicate that Van Pelt will not be back, as previously reported by The Boston Globe's Ben Volin shortly after Jerod Mayo was fired.) 

Brown, 38, had a three-year playing career as a running back for the Atlanta Falcons and Cleveland Browns, and immediately got into coaching when his playing days ended following the 2010 NFL season.

Brown served as the running backs coach for a number of college programs from 2012-2019, before he joined Sean McVay's staff in Los Angeles in 2020. He was the running backs coach of the Rams from 2020-21 and the tight ends coach in 2022, and was McVay's assistant head coach in both 2021 and 2022. He was the Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator in 2023 and then Chicago's pass-game coordinator to start the 2024 season. 

Brown was promoted to Chicago's OC after Shane Waldron was fired in early November, and then was named interim head coach when Matt Eberflus was fired. The Bears went 1-4 to close the season with Brown as the team's head coach. 

Brown worked with No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams last year in Chicago, but his three years on McVay's staff make him an appealing candidate to come in and work with Drake Maye in New England.

Patriots interview Marcus Brady for offensive coordinator

The Patriots have also interviewed Chargers passing game coordinator Marcus Brady for their offensive coordinator job, according to Rapoport. 

Brady has been coaching in the NFL since 2018, after he spent a decade as a coach in the Canadian Football League. (Brady also won three Grey Cups as a CFL quarterback.) 

The 45-year-old has experience as an NFL offensive coordinator, holding that position for the Indianapolis Colts in 2021 and 2022. He was a senior offensive assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023 before he joined Jim Harbaugh's staff in Los Angeles for the 2024 season. 

Former Titans assistants expected to join Vrabel in New England

According to ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss, Vrabel will be bringing two of his former assistants from Tennessee to New England.  Frank Piraino is expected to join his staff as strength coach, which he held under Vrabel with the Titans, while John Streicher is expected to become the team's new Ernie Adams as the football research director. 

Streicher was a game management assistant for the Rams staff in 2024, and spent six seasons on Vrabel's staff in Tennessee in a number of roles from 2018-23.

Patriots move on from five coaches

Reiss also reported on Friday that the Patriots are moving on from five coaches from the Mayo era: Tight ends coach Bob Bicknell, running backs coach Taylor Embree, wide receivers coach Tyler Hughes, assistant wide receivers coach Tiquan Underwood, and defensive coaching assistant Keith Jones. 

It should come as no surprise that most of the offensive coaching staff is being let go after the team's struggles throughout the 2024 season, especially at wide receiver. 

Patriots executive VP of football business Robyn Glaser resigning

Reiss also reported Friday night that Patriots executive vice president of football business Robyn Glaser has informed the team of her plans to resign in February after 18 years with the franchise. Glaser started with the Patriots in 2007 as a senior adviser to ownership and club counsel, and moved up to senior vice president of business affairs and chief administrative officer of football in 2022. She served as a senior adviser to Mayo in 2024.

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