The New England Patriots are planning to be without their top defensive signal-caller for the third straight week heading into Sunday, as defensive coordinator Terrell Williams remains away from the team due to "unforeseen circumstances," head coach Mike Vrabel said last week and echoed the same sentiment on Wednesday.
"Right now, we'll just, I would say moving forward, kind of be where we were last week. That's where I would anticipate it being this week."
That said, the Patriots are having inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr continue to call the defense in Week 4 for the third consecutive week. This is a role that Kuhr held during the spring and in the early portion of the summer while Williams was out managing his health situation.
This is a sensitive situation to say the least because on one hand, it's most important for Williams to get his health in order, but on the other hand, this is a new coaching staff installing a new defensive system, and the defensive coordinator is very important for it to go smoothly.
Although the Patriots had a test run without Williams during the offseason, which gave Kuhr an experience of calling plays for the first time, this situation is not ideal by any means, and Vrabel sort of sugarcoated that feeling this week.
"His health is first and foremost. That's critically important. Again, just making sure that the consistency is there so that we know what to account for and plan for. I don't want to say that it's fluid, but we'll see where things are and if he's going to continue to help us. I just don't know, based on the availability, what that's going to look like. So, the communication and everything that we've been doing over there has been good. His ability to help us has been really good, but I also don't want to go back and forth. I don't think that's good for anybody either."
Patriots Need to Make Tough Decision on Future of Their Defensive Coordinator
That said, and considering how often Williams hasn't been with the team at important moments, I think it might be best for him to step down from his role as defensive coordinator and continue working with the team from afar in a senior consultant capacity for the defense.
It's worth mentioning that Vrabel has always had Williams on his staff since he first became the head coach of the Tennessee Titans in 2018. He served as the defensive line coach during his entire tenure with Vrabel, but in 2023, he was also named the assistant head coach to Vrabel.
Vrabel values Williams tremendously, and he wants him to be involved with the team, but it might not be as the defensive coordinator, as the Patriots expect consistency from their coaching staff.
Williams can still be a valuable asset for Vrabel as they were implementing a new style of defense together, but maybe it will be best done in less of a full-time role, considering how often Williams has been away from the team.