Pats Pulpit
The Patriots hired Dews to coach their running backs coach on Wednesday.
Less than a week after first reports that Taylor Embree was among a group of assistant coaches leaving New England, the New England Patriots have found his successor as running backs coach. Tony Dews, who previously coached with the Tennessee Titans and most recently the New York Jets, will take over for Embree under new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.
What does the hire mean for the team, though? Let’s take a big-picture look at it.
Dews joining Mike Vrabel in New England does not come as a surprise. He already was part of our initial list of 25 assistant coach candidates to keep an eye on given his previous connection with Vrabel from their time in Tennessee: after starting his career in the college ranks, he made the jump to the NFL as Tennessee Titans running backs coach in 2018.
Dews held that role for five years, coaching Derrick Henry to two All-Pro designations, three Pro Bowls, and and NFL Offensive Player of the Year award. In 2023, he moved from coaching the running backs to working with the tight ends.
His experience working under Vrabel played a role in Dews now coming to New England, despite his familiarity not extending to his new coordinator: Josh McDaniels has not yet worked with the 51-year-old, and neither have the team’s running backs.
A former tight end at Liberty University, Dews went into coaching jin 1998 as defensive line coach at Millerville. Over the next 20 years, he filled numerous roles at various colleges, including three separate stints at West Virginia as well as a coaching opportunities at Power Five schools such as Michigan, Pittsburgh and Arizona.
In total, his pre-NFL résumé includes 10 college stops and nine different jobs (excluding his time as a recruiting coordinator at Pitt). Besides coaching defensive line, he also worked with the offensive line, defensive backs, tight ends, special teams, linebackers, wide receivers, and punt returners and running backs.
Compared to his college career, his time in the NFL has been more stable. As noted above, he coached running backs and tight ends in Tennessee between 2018 and 2023, and the Jets’ running backs in 2024. Along the way, he coached standout backs such as Derrick Henry, Dion Lewis and Breece Hall.
What can the Patriots expect from their new RBs coach? Somebody who has shown that he can build a positive culture in his room, according to former Titans assistant and current Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur.
“He’s got such an infectious personality and brings a lot of life, not only to your staff but to your team,” LaFleur told the Associated Press about Dews two years ago. “I thought he created an amazing culture in that running back room in our time together at Tennessee. I think he’s a damned good coach.”
LaFleur served as the Titans’...
