Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel announced Friday that defensive coordinator Terrell Williams has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Williams stepped away from the team in May due to an undisclosed health issue but returned to New England for training camp. He had to leave once again before Week 2, with inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr taking on play-calling duties.
Williams, 51, is undergoing treatment and consulting with specialists, ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss adds. Although Williams is expected to remain around the team as much as possible during his treatment process, Vrabel understandably did not offer a timeline for when the first-time DC could return to full-time duty.
Vrabel hired Williams after the assistant had spent a season with the Lions, but the two had an extensive history working together in Tennessee. Williams was Vrabel’s defensive line coach from 2018-22, covering the HC’s first five seasons on staff, and rose to assistant HC in 2023.
Following Vrabel’s January 2024 Titans dismissal, Williams caught on as the Lions’ D-line coach and defensive run-game coordinator. Vrabel’s return led to Williams’ first DC opportunity — at any level — in January. Williams has been an NFL assistant since 2012 and has been in coaching since 1998. The Pats only interviewed two candidates — Williams and Dolphins OLBs coach Ryan Crow — for the job, one Vrabel filled less than two weeks after being hired as HC.
“This is a hard business; this is tough,” Vrabel said, via Reiss. “When you do this, you have to have people that you trust implicitly, that are loyal. He’s been that. He has an ability to reach everybody, and it always kept me in perspective.”
Kuhr worked on Vrabel’s Titans staff from 2020-23, serving as a defensive assistant. He held the same role with the Giants last season. Far less experienced than Williams, Kuhr has spent time in the offseason and in-season calling the shots on defense. The Patriots, who have missed All-Pro cornerback Christian Gonzalez to open the season, rank 18th in scoring defense and 17th in yards allowed. The Gonzalez-less unit has struggled against the pass, ranking 30th. The third-year CB is expected to make his 2025 debut Sunday.
Vinny DePalma, a Jerod Mayo hire retained this offseason, has taken on more responsibility with Kuhr’s linebacking crew during Williams’ time away. DePalma serves as a defensive assistant in New England.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.