Zak Kuhr is indeed taking over as the Patriots defensive coordinator. After serving as the defensive play-caller and interim defensive coordinator in 2025, the inside linebackers coach is earning a promotion to DC, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
[RELATED: Patriots To Move DC Terrell Williams To New Role]
A former defensive quality control coach and assistant LBs coach under Mike Vrabel in Tennessee, Kuhr followed his former boss to New England last offseason. He was initially tasked with coaching the team’s inside linebackers, but his responsibilities quickly shifted after defensive coordinator Terrell Williams was diagnosed with cancer.
Kuhr seamlessly took over as the defensive play-caller and interim DC, and he ended up guiding one of the top units in the NFL. The Patriots defense finished the season ranked fourth in points allowed and eighth in yards allowed. When Milton Williams was healthy, the team’s run defense was especially stout, and the team went several months without allowing a 50-yard rusher. Prior to their blowout loss in the Super Bowl, New England allowed playoff opponents to only score 26 points in three games.
Williams stepped away from his role during spring practices due to a health scare and was later diagnosed with prostate cancer. He continued to work with players as he underwent treatment, but he didn’t travel with the squad to away games. As a result, Kuhr served as the defensive play-caller for the entire 2025 campaign.
Fortunately, Williams was announced to be cancer-free before the Super Bowl and traveled with the Patriots to San Francisco. That set up a potentially tricky situation for the head coach heading into the offseason, but the organization quickly announced that Williams would transition to a high-ranking role on Vrabel’s staff.
The team still had to go through an interview process for their newfound DC vacancy to comply with Rooney Rule requirements. At the same time, Shane Bowen and Jim Schwartz were mentioned as potential candidates for the gig. Still, Kuhr always seemed like a shoo-in to earn the full-time gig, especially since the Patriots would risk losing him to a promotion if they kept him as linebackers coach.
While Vrabel still has a major influence over the team’s defensive game plan, Kuhr will now have an entire offseason to prepare his unit for the 2026 campaign. At the same time, the organization is expected to promote from within to fill the ILBs coach job. Per ESPN’s Mike Reiss, Vinny DePalma is expected to be elevated to the role. DePalma was one of the few holdovers from Jerod Mayo‘s staff in New England, and he spent the past two years as a defensive assistant.