New England Patriots - NESN.com
Mike Vrabel clearly had a vision when building out his first coaching staff with the New England Patriots.
New England officially announced members of the staff Feb. 5. Vrabel valued three things in putting the group together. He sought out familiarity and brought aboard a large number of former assistants from his days with the Tennessee Titans. He pursued size, which will be achieved thanks to several quality control assistants. And he looked for experience, highlighted by four assistants who were previously head coaches.
It’s a group the head honcho is proud of.
“I’m extremely proud of the staff that we were able to put together,” Vrabel told reporters at the scouting combine on Tuesday, per team-provided video. “It’s difficult in the National Football League to be able to get every coach that you may covet, or may want to get. We were able to put together a great staff, one that we’re really proud of.”
Vrabel brought aboard two notable names to run his offense and defense, respectively: Josh McDaniels and Terrell Williams.
McDaniels and Vrabel have a longstanding relationship, which only grew stronger as they spent time with each other around the Cleveland Browns in 2024. Williams is another close confidant of the 49-year-old, having already spent multiple seasons working alongside him.
The Patriots checked a few boxes that were left unchecked last offseason, with the hope being that improvements will soon come as a result.
Vrabel is happy for now, but the real test will come when his team and his new coaching staff hit the field for voluntary workouts on April 7.
