The New England Patriots' new-look coaching staff is starting to come together.
Mike Vrabel, who replaced Jerod Mayo as the Patriots' head coach, hired Josh McDaniels as his offensive coordinator and Terrell Williams as his defensive coordinator. McDaniels is a veteran OC set for his third stint in New England and Williams is a longtime defensive line coach who served in that role for the Detroit Lions in 2024.
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Vrabel's hires earned stamps of approval from NBC Sports Boston's Patriots insiders Tom E. Curran and Phil Perry. Curran believes McDaniels' experience will allow Vrabel to work closely with Williams -- a first-time defensive coordinator -- and focus on the other side of the ball.
"McDaniels can take care of the offense and be head coach of the offense," Curran said. "Once everyone's on the same page with how they want to operate offensively, and Josh has the experience that he can coach those position groups the way he wants to -- and has done that in the past, that's a huge checkmark in his favor -- then you can have Vrabel work with Terrell Williams.
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"So you have a nice division of power that didn't exist and you have a much better opportunity to hire the position coach and coordinators that you wanted."
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Perry is encouraged by Vrabel, McDaniels, and Williams having a bevy of experience in their respective fields. Although it'll be Williams' first season as a defensive coordinator, he has coached NFL defenses since 2012 and will benefit from working under a defensive-minded head coach.
"What I like most about this staff is the experience," Perry said. "When you look at it, they got the most ready-made, experienced, hit-the-ground-running head coach that was available and they got the most ready-made, experienced hit-the-ground-running offensive coordinator that was available.
"Terrell Williams obviously is going to be new to this position, but Vrabel will be able to work with him. I think for a fanbase and an ownership group that is tired of what looked like rebuilding seasons -- even though this might look like a rebuilding season because of the talent on the field -- the coaching staff should be ready-made."
In addition to the McDaniels and Williams hires, the Patriots announced they will retain special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer. They also reportedly hired Tony Dews as their new running backs coach. The rest of their position coach jobs are up for grabs.
New England is entering a pivotal offseason after posting a 4-13 record for the second consecutive campaign. Once the coaching staff is set, Vrabel and the front office must prioritize adding elite talent on both sides of the ball -- especially for their wide receiving corps, offensive line, and pass-rush.