Sunday Patriots Notes: Zak Kuhr a ‘future superstar’ on the defensive staff

Notes and thoughts on rookie minicamp, the Patriots Hall of Fame, potential wide receiver trades, and more.

Even with the NFL Draft in the rear-view mirror, there is no shortage of stories coming out of Foxborough. The New England Patriots, after all, are currently holding their three-day rookie minicamp.

While minicamp is the main event, there is a lot to talk about that goes beyond it. So, without further ado, let’s dive straight in and put a wrap on this week.

Welcome to the latest edition of our Sunday Patriots Notes.

Future ‘superstar’ Zak Kuhr an integral part of the defense

With Terrell Williams working remotely from Detroit following the medical scare he experienced earlier this offseason, the Patriots are currently do not have their defensive coordinator on the ground at Gillette Stadium. In order to replace him, they turned to their inside linebackers coach: Zak Kuhr has taken over Williams’ responsibilities during his absence.

The choice could not have been any better, in Williams’ eyes.

“Zak’s unbelievable. He’s an unbelievably smart guy,” he said about his colleague. “He’s going to be a superstar in this league. Smart, and more than anything he has the ability to connect with players.”

Kuhr arrived in New England alongside Vrabel and Williams earlier this offseason after having spent the 2024 season as a defensive assistant with the New York Giants. Before that, he was part of Vrabel’s Tennessee Titans staff for four years, first as a quality control coach and later as assistant linebackers coach.

Those four seasons left a positive impression on Williams.

“I remember when we hired him in Tennessee,” he said. “It seems like [Mike Vrabel] always put the new guys with me, so he was coming from [Texas] and he stuck him in there; he had been on offense and he stuck him in there with me on the defensive line. Everybody was dumped in there with me, but I’ve grown to respect him in a short amount of time. We were together four of those years in Tennessee, and I have the utmost respect.”

Now, Kuhr is playing an integral part on a Patriots defensive staff trying to adapt with Williams sidelined. By the sounds of it, the 37-year-old is up to the challenge.

Terrell Williams gaining new perspective through medical scare

Even though he did not give any insight into the nature of the medical emergency he experienced, it did give Terrell Williams a new perspective. He outlined it during a brief media conference call on Friday afternoon.

“I want to talk about the seriousness of taking care of our health and loving the people you love, because when something traumatic happens like that — and it was traumatic for me — it gave me an opportunity to reflect and really look back at the people I care about that made a difference in my life,” the 50-year-old said.

“I was able to do that, and also it gave me a reminder that sometimes as coaches, as media folks, and athletes and doctors and whoever, we think we’re invincible. You’re not. I’m just telling you, you’re not. This was a good wake-up call for me, and it was a good wake-up call for my close friends and people I know in the profession and around the league, and just in general.”

Will Campbell and Doug Marrone go way back

Will Campbell never played for Doug Marrone, but the two did cross paths on the recruiting trail back in the day. As the Patriots’ first-round draft pick said during a press conference on Friday, Marrone was trying to bring the four-star recruit to the University of Alabama back in 2021.

“He recruited me in high school,” the Louisiana native, who eventually joined LSU, said. “Obviously, I wasn’t going to Alabama, but I would have loved to play for him. So, for me to be able to work with him has been pretty cool. … I’ve been familiar with the way he coaches, and being able to play for him is something — I can’t imagine not playing for somebody like him.”

Patriots beat out competition for UDFA Efton Chism

The Patriots made their 16 undrafted free agent signings official before the start of rookie minicamp on Friday, and one of the biggest contracts among them was handed to wide receiver Efton Chism. According to a report by ESPN’s Mike Reiss, the Eastern Washington product received a $234,000 salary guarantee plus a $25,000 signing bonus.

The comparatively sizable contract was no surprise: Chism was a popular target after the draft was over, and the Patriots made sure to compensate him accordingly to bring him aboard.

Joshua Dobbs excited about infections energy

The Patriots’ 11 drafted and 16 undrafted rookies are not the only young players on the roster. In total, 64 of the currently 89 players on the team are still on their rookie deals (i.e. within their first four years in the league).

With that youth comes a certain energy, as veteran quarterback Joshua Dobbs — himself a nine-year veteran on his ninth NFL team — pointed out earlier this week.

“I’m excited about the youth,” he told Patriots Unfiltered. “There are a lot of young guys on the team, but their energy is infectious; their love of football is infectious. Their talent is really good, it pops off the page just throwing routes on air at the practice field. I’m excited. With this culture, this scheme, this coaching staff and the talent that we have, I’m excited to see what we will do with it.”

Mike Vrabel outlines rookie minicamp goal

For the Patriots’ rookies, minicamp is a first opportunity to get their feet wet since joining the NFL. From a team perspective, that also is the main goal of the three-day event.

“The whole goal this weekend is to get them acclimated to the program that we’ve tried to build over five weeks with our players so that on Monday, they’re ready to go as they enter into this end of Phase 2 with our football team, and our football team can see that the players that we brought in are ones that are going to put the team first,” explained head coach Mike Vrabel.

“All the things that we’ve asked them to do in five weeks, these rookies have to get a crash course. Excited about that and getting them acclimated.”

Hall of Fame road not getting any easier for Vinatieri, Mankins

Julian Edelman was voted the newest member of the Patriots Hall of Fame, as was announced by the team earlier this week. The three-time Super Bowl winner received the honor after beating out two fellow finalists, kicker Adam Vinatieri and guard Logan Mankins, in a fan vote.

What’s next for Edelman is clear; he will be getting the famous red jacket alongside fellow inductee Bill Parcells at some point in the near future. What about Vinatieri and Mankins, though?

The road for them into the Hall of Fame is not getting any easier.

Looking toward next year, plenty more deserving candidates will become eligible. Among them are wide receiver Danny Amendola, running back James White and kicker Stephen Gostkowski — all three of whom having left their imprint on the Patriots’ dynasty of the 2010s.

Standing above them all both literally and figuratively, however, is Rob Gronkowski. One of the greatest players in franchise and NFL history, he will be eligible next year and is a near-lock to make it in in 2026. As a result, Vinatieri and Mankins are bound to have to wait another year.

Steelers a potential trade partner at wide receiver?

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been quite active on the wide receiver trade market this offseason. After previously acquiring DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks, they moved on from George Pickens in a trade with the Dallas Cowboys earlier this week.

While Pittsburgh still has strength in numbers — there are currently 10 wide receivers under contract — the team might not be done adding to the room. At the moment, Metcalf is joined atop the depth chart by the likes of Calvin Austin, Robert Woods and Scotty Miller. Needless to say, there is room for improvement.

The Patriots’ wide receiver group is in a similar position (just not with a proven WR1 like Metcalf): it has numbers, but there are plenty of questions. Those will sort themselves out over the coming weeks and months, but if New England wants to thin the herd it would not be a surprise if Eliot Wolf gave a call to Pittsburgh.

Maybe players such as Kendrick Bourne or Kayshon Boutte might be of interest to the Steelers in exchange for late-round draft capital.

Will Campbell gives insight into his suit game

Will Campbell was a standout at LSU not just for his play on the field, but his looks off of it. The offensive tackle used to wear a variety of suits during his pre-game arrivals in Baton Rouge — a tradition that continued on draft day.

There is a method behind the madness, though, Campbell explained on Friday.

“I wasn’t the guy who was going to score touchdowns or sack the quarterback, but with NIL and stuff like that I wanted to market myself and just put myself out there,” he said. “I did that my sophomore year, I wore a white suit for the first game and they put a picture of me and Joe Burrow next to each other and said, ‘Who wore it better?’ because he wore one whenever they were playing.”

“It brought me a little more exposure, since my name isn’t called for scoring touchdowns and sacking the quarterback, things like that,” Campbell added. “So, just trying to help myself out a little bit.”

Setting up the week ahead

The Patriots will put a wrap on their rookie minicamp later today, and then it’s back to regular programming: the voluntary offseason workout schedule will resume on Monday, with the team transitioning from Phase 2 to Phase 3 later in the week. At that point, the whole team will be together on the field.

This will also give us a chance to talk to more players. As of today, four media sessions are planned: Kendrick Bourne and Milton Williams on Tuesday, followed by Christian Barmore and Jack Gibbens on Thursday.

In addition, we will keep our eyes and ears open for any news on the contract front. Three of the Patriots’ rookies — OT Will Campbell, RB TreVeyon Henderson, S Craig Woodson — remain unsigned.