With Terrell Williams reportedly taking on a new role, Zak Kuhr is the favorite to take over as defensive coordinator.
Terrell Williams is now cancer-free after a trying year. Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe
The New England Patriots are reportedly making changes to their coaching staff.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Patriots are moving defensive coordinator Terrell Williams into a “high-ranking” role on Mike Vrabel’s staff — opening up the defensive coordinator position for the 2026 season.
Rapoport noted that Patriots inside linebacker coach Zak Kuhr is considered the top candidate to take over as the team’s full-time DC moving forward.
Williams — who was named as New England’s DC after spending six seasons with the Titans — had to take a leave of absence in the spring because of health issues. The 51-year-old coach returned in the summer, but stepped away again early in the regular season.
In October, Vrabel announced that Williams was taking an extended break after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Rapoport noted in his report that Williams is now cancer-free, and traveled with the Patriots to San Francisco for Super Bowl LX.
“My thoughts are about the game, and not really about me or the Super Bowl or anything,” Williams told Christopher Price of The Boston Globe at Super Bowl Opening Night. “This could be a preseason game and I’d be happy to be here with these guys after what I’ve been through. What we’ve been through.”
With Williams sidelined for most of the year, Vrabel and the Patriots turned to Kuhr as the team’s interim play-caller on defense, a role Kuhr carried all the way through Super Bowl LX.
Kuhr, 37, had never called plays in the NFL prior to this season.
But, New England’s defense rallied around their new play-caller — ranking fourth in the NFL in points allowed during regular season play.
New England’s defense played the largest role in the Patriots’ run to Super Bowl LX, with New England limiting opponents to just 13.8 points per game across four postseason matchups.
Speaking on Tuesday, Vrabel admitted that the Patriots were going to need to have some conversations over the best path moving forward when it came to both Williams’ and Kuhr’s future in New England.
“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.”
If Kuhr takes over as New England’s full-time DC, the Patriots will be able to retain a young coordinator whose stock soared this past season — while also retaining Williams on staff in a senior role that, ideally, will be less taxing on his health.
Speaking in the Bay Area last week, Williams voiced his support for the job that Kuhr carried out this past season.
“We all believe in the same things,” Williams told Price of Kuhr’s efforts. “The message has been the same throughout, from the time we got there to the time we met today. So whether it’s Zak, or whether it’s [safeties coach] Scott Booker, or whoever it is, we’re all preaching the same message.”
“Sometimes, when you coach in this league, you’ve got coaches who are pulling in different directions. Everybody has a motive. The only motive for us was to improve. Not to win, but to improve. We figured that the improvement would come. But Zak has done an unbelievable job. I’m proud of him, and I’m looking forward to him calling this game on Sunday.”
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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