New England Patriots - NESN.com
Mike Vrabel continues to make additions and improvements to his New England Patriots coaching staff.
New England hired a handful of offensive assistants and at least one defensive assistant, according to various reports which surfaced Monday morning. You can find a reset of the offensive coaching staff here.
And here are four takeaways from the reported hirings:
A heavy hitter in the trenches
The Patriots continued an early theme by reportedly hiring the experienced Doug Marrone, a two-time NFL head coach with 18 seasons in the league. Marrone’s title has not yet been revealed, but his experience as an offensive line coach makes it likely he oversees the group up front. Marrone coached the offensive line of the New Orleans Saints (2022-23), Alabama Crimson Tide (2021), Jacksonville Jaguars (2015-16), New York Jets (2002-2005) and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (1997-99). The 60-year-old Marrone served as senior analyst at Boston College in 2024, working on Bill O’Brien’s staff in Chestnut Hill. O’Brien surely put a good word in with Vrabel, who hasn’t coached directly with Marrone. Marrone’s head coaching jobs came with the Bills (2013-14) and Jaguars (2017-20) and he was the Saints offensive coordinator during Drew Brees’ rise (2006-08) in The Big Easy.
Fast-riser gets opportunity under Josh McDaniels
One of the benefits of hiring Josh McDaniels is the expectation he won’t be packing up and leaving in the short-term. The same might not be said about Thomas Brown, who reportedly joins the Patriots as the tight ends coach and passing game coordinator. The 38-year-old Brown is a respected offensive assistant who’s been put in some tough situations. He interviewed for the Patriots offensive coordinator role after he previously held the title with the Carolina Panthers (2023). He was the Bears interim offensive coordinator and interim head coach in 2024 after a pair of firings in Chicago. Brown has worked under then-Panthers head coach Frank Reich and Sean McVay, who gave him his start with the Los Angeles Rams (2020-2022). Brown feels like a really good get for Vrabel and company.
Vrabel ties
Vrabel added another more faces with the reported hirings of Jason Houghtaling and Milton Patterson. Houghtaling most recently served as an assistant offensive line coach in Chicago, and was an offensive line coach for the Titans during Vrabel’s tenure in Tennessee. Vrabel removed Houghtaling’s “assistant” label in his final campaign with the Titans, though it’s believed he could work as Marrone’s assistant with the position group. He has four seasons in the professional ranks. Vrabel previously lauded Houghtaling for his teaching style and grasp of multiple schemes. In regards to Patterson, Vrabel would’ve crossed paths when the defensive assistant was part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship in Tennessee, per MassLive.
A more extensive rolodex
Sure, the on-field results aren’t yet known. But it’s quite clear Vrabel’s rolodex has given him the opportunity to check out worthy coaching assistants. The Vrabel-O’Brien-Marrone connection is a perfect example, as is the hiring of quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant. It’s feels...
