Zak Kuhr's Full Season as Patriots DC Could Fix New England's Biggest Need
A near tragedy, Terrell Williams being forced to leave the New England Patriots due to his battle with prostate cancer, put Zak Kuhr on the hot seat in 2025.
Kuhr made the jump on the fly from inside linebackers coach to defensive play-caller on the fly at age 37 last season, and the New England defense cooked, allowing just 320 total points (fourth in the NFL) and an average of 295.2 yards per game, good for No. 8 overall.
Zak Kuhr did it on his own
Some may point to the head coach looking over Kuhr's shoulder a year ago. The Patriots, who open training camp 2026 on July 24 in Foxborough, beg to differ as Mike Vrabel made things official over the offseason, naming Kuhr as the team's defensive coordinator.
"It's been pretty (much) the same as last year. I mean, I would say even the same things (Williams) did last year were very similar, too," said Kuhr at the recent mini-camp. "We have very much the same philosophy with how we feel things should be done.
"The one difference is the staff. It's not year one conversations now. It's how we can develop it and grow it."
Kuhr, who worked his way through the coaching ranks from the high school and college ranks to the NFL, is running the Vrabel/Williams scheme, having been on staff with the two of them at Tennessee from 2020 to 2023, moving from defensive quality control up to an inside linebackers assistant in that span.
He clearly has learned under Vrabel's wing. Unlike the Bill Belichick regime in New England, this staff speaks freely with its desire to see the players succeed and prosper – financially first.
He talked about that when discussing the give-and-take for edge players, who can often be asked to sacrifice the pass rush due to responsibilities in the run defense.
There is little to no free-wheeling in Kuhr's game.
"Chemistry and coordination are huge parts of it," Kuhr said. "We all understand that we have to earn the right to rush. Those guys understand that. We take great pride with how we play the run early. Earning the right to go earn money for their own contracts is a big part of being stout in the run."
Pressuring QB's is the priority
When camp opens in a month or so, Kuhr's defense will look to improve on the regular season sack total of 35, which tied for 22nd in the league. It's priority one.
New England lost one of its top producers, K'Lavon Chaisson, to free agency, replacing him with seven-year vet Dre'Mont Jones, who was last in Baltimore after stints in Denver, Seattle and Tennessee. Chaisson had 7.5 sacks a year ago, a number Jones has yet to reach.
Kuhr is banking on Jones and a healthy Harold Landry to lead the pressure on the QB. A full season at the coordinator spot, along with most of the players in year two of this system, will likely allow for some experimentation.
"The beauty of being in Year 2 of the same system is you can find those problem plays, rather than just really honing in on your own stuff around the league. You can beat it to the punch," said Kuhr. "The things you can work at in spring are things you might see. You know there are concept testers, things that might really test your rules and some tough plays. Teaching the guys that these are the weaknesses within the scheme is something we didn't pay attention to (in year 1)."
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This story was originally published June 23, 2026 at 1:00 PM.