The New England Patriots' coaching staff looks a lot different now than it did at the start of the NFL offseason.
Head coach Mike Vrabel has officially taken over the Patriots' bench, allowing the 49-year-old to shape the staff in his image. Although he's brought in several names who weren't in town last season (Josh McDaniels, Terrell Williams, etc.), Vrabel did decide to retain a few names from ex-HC Jerod Mayo's staff — including assistant offensive line coach Robert Kugler.
Patriots Must Fire Assistant OL Coach Robert Kugler
Kugler is one of the holdovers from the disappointing 2024 season's staff. Having said that, it isn't too late for the Patriots to give the axe to the underperforming assistant.
The Patriots' offensive line performing well last season would've justified Kugler's retention, but that wasn't the case. New England ended the year as one of the NFL's worst teams when it came to protection, finishing 30th and 32nd for pass and run blocking, respectively, on Pro Football Focus.
The lackluster frontline performance is a big reason why the Patriots struggled to produce offensively more often than not. Instead of seeing that and wanting to start fresh, New England and Vrabel still decided to retain Kugler's services.
The Pittsburgh, PA native has been an assistant OL coach for four seasons, failing to make a positive impact where he goes.
The Houston Texans had a bottom-10 offensive line when Kugler held that same job for them in 2021. He then spent the following two seasons with the Carolina Panthers and while things looked promising in 2022, the 2023 campaign saw the team revert to its old ways, finishing with the sixth-worst pass protection grade and fifth-worst run blocking mark.
If Vrabel wants the Patriots' attack to succeed in 2025, he must re-think Kugler's future with the franchise. Nothing about the 32-year-old assistant's past indicates that he'll have a positive impact on the offense, especially given how bad last year's unit was.
Hopefully, Vrabel sees the light before it's too late. The Patriots can't afford to jeopardize franchise quarterback Drake Maye's development by surrounding him with coaches who can't protect him.