When the New England Patriots hired Mike Vrabel as their head coach last year, he had one person in mind to be his defensive coordinator: his longtime assistant and friend, Terrell Williams.
Early in the offseason, Williams began to have a series of health concerns that were limiting his ability to perform his role as the defensive coordinator. Williams was eventually diagnosed with prostate cancer, and he stepped away from the team after Week 1 to prioritize his health.
After a five-month battle, Williams was cancer-free and helped coach the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Despite being away from the team for most of the season, Williams still did his part as a coach by talking to the players via video chats and remaining in constant communication with Vrabel and the rest of the coaching staff. It was not an easy road for Williams, but he prevailed and is ready to return to coaching full-time next season.
While Williams was out, it was inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr who filled in as the defensive play caller, starting in training camp. Kuhr improved each week in his first season calling a defense and went on to finish with the fourth-ranked defense in terms of points allowed and the eighth-ranked defense in yards allowed. In the playoffs, the Patriots only allowed 8.6 points per game before the Super Bowl. Vrabel acknowledged what would be best for the team moving forward, promoting Kuhr to be the full-time defensive coordinator.
Mike Vrabel Explains Terrell Williams’ Role For Next Season With Patriots
That said, it was always expected that Williams would take on a consultant role of some kind when he was healthy enough to return to work regularly. It’s something that has been on fans' minds throughout the season, as there is uncertainty as to what role Williams would take on with the Patriots in 2026. If we're being fair, Vrabel doesn’t even seem to know what title Williams will hold going into next season, but he does know what he’s going to expect from Williams in his new role for next season.
While at the NFL Combine on Wednesday, Vrabel spoke with Patriots team media regarding the role Williams will have next season.
“He’s going to be a strong role on the defense, like he is going to act as a coordinator and presenting information and ideas and bringing the front and making sure that we’re really solid across the front from our edges to the interior. … Terrell’s going to be able to help me, be an extension of me throughout our program,” Vrabel said.
Williams has been on Vrabel’s staff every year that he’s been a head coach. Vrabel has complete and total trust in Williams’ judgment and values his perspective on anything relating to the football team and the program he’s creating. Having him around as eyes and ears for Vrabel in the coaches' box during games and in the office throughout the week will be essential for Vrabel moving forward. Williams will likely be involved with strategic game planning for the defense and film breakdown. His role to Vrabel is already reminiscent of what Ernie Adams provided to Bill Belichick in the early years of his tenure.
It’s worth mentioning that Ben McAdoo was relieved of his duties as New England’s Senior Defensive Assistant, which I believe opens up a wider umbrella for Williams’ new role to accommodate Vrabel. In 2024, McAdoo was hired as a Senior Offensive Assistant, but he was moved to defense last year while holding the same title.
With Kuhr as the defensive coordinator, Williams in a senior-level defensive-focused role, and with John Streicher doing more of the behind-the-scenes tasks and running around to make sure everything is going as planned for the program, McAdoo became obsolete on New England’s staff.
It’s great that Williams can return to work on a full-time basis, as his presence will still be felt on the field even though he might be watching from the box or from a bird’s-eye view more often than not.Â
More importantly, Williams joins a workplace where his employers and friends want to see him happy and healthy. He has that with the Patriots.