Last week, the New England Patriots revealed they were searching for a new defensive coordinator in the offseason.
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Defensive coordinator Terrell Williams missed time during the 2025 campaign after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer on Sept. 26. Per ESPN’s Mike Reiss, the Patriots are moving Williams to a “high-ranking” role under head coach Mike Vrabel for the 2026 season.
With Williams unable to coach New England, linebackers coach Zak Kuhr served as the defensive playcaller, helping the team reach the Super Bowl.
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Per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, the Patriots are promoting Kuhr to defensive coordinator..
“The Patriots are officially promoting Zak Kuhr to defensive coordinator, sources tell The Insiders. Kuhr, 37, impressed calling plays this season while Terrell Williams battled cancer,” Pelissero posted on X. “With Williams now healthy and moving to a high-ranking staff role, Kuhr takes over full-time.
“This move was expected, but still a big move for Zak Kuhr, who broke into the NFL as a quality control assistant under Mike Vrabel with the Titans in 2020. Now, after helping the Patriots reach Super LX, he’s officially a DC.”
Kuhr's first job in the NFL came in 2020 with the Tennessee Titans as a defensive quality control coach. He was promoted to inside linebackers assistant in 2021. He served as a defensive assistant for the New York Giants in 2024.
Kuhr appreciated the support he received from Vrabel and Williams when he was asked to call plays in a challenging situation. He feels confident working under Vrabel.
"(Vrabel) challenges you with great intention to push you. It's not, I'm being hard on you," Kuhr said, via WKYC 3. "You feel so confident going into the game because everybody on the staff and him knows that we're always going through this together.
“We all have your back, don't be scared to call something, where some places you're afraid to call something because you're afraid of the backlash. … It just gives you that much more confidence on game day."
With a full offseason to prepare, Kuhr could be even better as a playcaller next season.
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