ClutchPoints
The New England Patriots have been quite busy since their 2024 campaign came to a conclusion. After their season-ending victory over the Buffalo Bills, team owner Robert Kraft almost immediately fired head coach Jerod Mayo after just one year with the team. Shortly after that, the team brought in Mike Vrabel, who was widely expected to replace Mayo once the move was made.
Vrabel’s ties to New England, where he played from 2001 to 2008, winning three Super Bowls along the way, made him an obvious hire. While that doesn’t differentiate him from Mayo, he has a track record of success as a head coach that his fellow former linebacker does not, and he has the ties across the league that were necessary in order for him to build a proper coaching staff around him.
In the past 24 hours, that has been on full display, as Vrabel has hired old friend Josh McDaniels to be the team’s offensive coordinator, while bringing in former Detroit Lions defensive line coach Terrell Williams to be their defensive coordinator. The coaching staff is coming together nicely for Vrabel, but now, the Patriots need to focus on making some significant upgrades to their roster if they want to take a leap forward in 2025.
While Mayo’s first, and only, season in charge of New England was a disaster, he wasn’t the only guy on the coaching staff who was to blame for their struggles. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt did a good job developing rookie quarterback Drake Maye, but his playcalling left a lot to be desired. DeMarcus Covington, on the other hand, took over a defense that was one of the best in the league in 2023 and saw them regress dramatically in 2024.
Both guys were let go of in the wake of Mayo’s departure and Vrabel’s subsequent hiring, which wasn’t much of a surprise. Given Vrabel’s ties to McDaniels, he was quickly linked to the team for a third stint as their offensive coordinator, and bringing him back to town is a solid idea. McDaniels coaxed a Pro Bowl campaign out of Mac Jones when he was a rookie back in 2021, so he should be able to help Maye continue to develop in 2025 and beyond.
Williams has experience working with Vrabel from his Titans days, as he was the team’s defensive line coach from 2018 to 2023, while also being Vrabel’s assistant head coach in 2023. After keeping the Lions defensive line in tip-top shape in 2024, despite dealing with a rash of injuries, he will be tasked with helping New England’s defense get back on track.
Hiring Vrabel was the move New England should have made last offseason, and he’s done well to grab a pair of coordinators he has familiarity with, which should help ensure that he builds the team back up in the way he sees fit. The issue is that unless this team...
