It has been a whirlwind spring and summer for a member of the New England Patriots' newly installed coaching staff. That continued on Monday as he was forced to leave the team's practice early due to a medical issue.
After being forced to miss all of the Patriots' minicamps and OTAs with what the team described only as an undisclosed health scare, first-year defensive coordinator Terrell Williams returned to the fold for training camp. Unfortunately, Williams was forced to deal with another health issue on Monday, which left a member of his coaching staff tasked with running the defense for the remainder of the day.
Patriots defensive coordinator Terrell Williams, who left Monday's practice early, was treated for dehydration, according to the team.
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) August 4, 2025
New Patriots DC Terrell Williams Hits Another Bump in Start with Team
According to Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald, inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr took over as the team's defensive leader on the sidelines after Williams was forced to leave practice due to his bout with dehydration.
While not having Williams out there after his prolonged absence this spring isn't ideal by any stretch, Kuhr was the one handling those day-to-day responsibilities throughout minicamps and OTAs. So, despite the unfortunate turn of events that led to Williams needing to leave the field and rehydrate, the players were familiar with the voice calling the shots.
Dehydration shouldn't be dismissed as a non-issue, especially for someone who has a history of medical issues - even if specifics of those issues are unknown to anyone outside of the building. The good news is that, according to the Patriots' medical staff, the dehydration issue Williams dealt with on Monday was unrelated to his prior health issues.
The best path forward for New England's coaching staff is for Williams to be healthy enough to coach the team throughout its 18-week regular season schedule. Mike Vrabel hired Williams to be the team's defensive coordinator for a reason. It would be in the team's best interests, in the eyes of their head coach, to have Williams calling the shots on that side of the ball.
Hopefully, Williams can make it through the season without any further health issues forcing him to be away from the team. As important as winning football games at the NFL level is, nothing should come before your health.