Patriots make expected defensive coordinator hire

In a move that was expected at the start of the offseason, the New England Patriots are making Zak Kuhr their titled defensive coordinator. Multiple reports had the hire on Tuesday night.

Kuhr was originally hired by the Patriots as the inside linebackers coach last year, after having spent three years with head coach Mike Vrabel in Tennessee. However, Kuhr took over as defensive play-caller one game into the season when defensive coordinator Terrell Williams was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Williams was cleared to return to work, but last week was promoted to a new "high-ranking role on the coaching staff." That officially opened up the defensive coordinator position ahead of Kuhr's hire.

With Kuhr calling the plays for the significant majority of the season, the Patriots had the fourth-ranked scoring defense in the NFL allowing 18.8 points per game. In the playoffs that number dipped to 13.8 points per game.

Prior to joining Vrabel in Tennessee Kuhr, 37, began his coaching career at the college level. His stops included being the co-offensive coordinator at James Madison in 2015, before going to coach running backs at Rutgers in 2016. He was a co-offensive coordinator again at Texas State in 2017, then an associate head coach there in 2018.

Following that he was a general assistant at Texas, before becoming a defensive quality control coach for the Titans in 2020. From there he was promoted to inside linebackers coach until Vrabel's departure. Between his stops in Tennessee and New England, he was a defensive assistant for the New York Giants in 2024.

Kuhr's promotion could have a trickle-down effect for another coach on the staff too. According to ESPN's Mike Reiss, Vinny DePalma "is expected to elevate" to the inside linebackers coach job. DePalma, who played linebacker at Boston College before being hired by the Patriots in 2024, has been a general defensive assistant in New England the last two years.