The two linebackers coaches will not be back with the Patriots in 2025.
A flurry of New England Patriots coaching moves was reported on Monday. Besides four new assistant coaches entering the fold, including former NFL head coach Doug Marrone, the departure of two members of the 2024 staff also became public.
Dont’a Hightower and Drew Wilkins, who coached New England’s inside and outside linebackers, respectively, under previous head coach Jerod Mayo will not be back under his successor, Mike Vrabel. What do their departures mean for the team, though? Let’s assess given the information available about the rebuilt coaching staff so far.
Results business
Trading Matthew Judon and losing Ja’Whaun Bentley and Oshane Ximines to season-ending injuries, all before the season was even a month old, certainly did not do the Patriots’ linebacker corps any favors. Even considering those circumstances, however, the drop-off for the group in 2024 was still significant — something that, at least to a degree, Mike Vrabel seems to blame on the coaching.
And why would he not, given that the NFL is a results business? Those results did not look good for Hightower, Wilkins and their units.
For starters, the Patriots were unable to replace those three players mentioned above, rotating through a number of career backups and castoffs while neither getting any consistent results out of them nor the returning veterans. Edge pressure was lacking, run fits looked suspect, and coverage was an issue throughout the season.
Meanwhile, veteran Jahlani Tavai had his worst season both on and off the field since joining the Patriots, while the likes of Joshua Uche and Sione Takitaki were virtual non-factors in their roles. Christian Elliss had some positive moments, but not enough to consider his season a success as well.
It is hard to quantify where exactly the line is between a player’s contributions and a coach’s, but from the outside looking in it appears the major problems were as follows: for Wilkins, it was not having established NFL quality to work with and failing to get Uche back on track; for Hightower, his lack of experience might have limited his impact in his first ever season as a coach.
All-star role not indicative of job security
Three members of the Patriots’ 2024 staff have been chosen to coach at the college all-star games, Wilkins among them. As was announced earlier this month, he is working as defensive coordinator at the East-West Shrine Bowl. Assistant offensive line coach Robert Kugler, meanwhile, is coaching the O-line in Frisco.
The Senior Bowl, on the other hand, will have offensive assistant Omar Young among its coaches; the 41-year-old is set to work with the running backs in Mobile this week.
While those assignments could have been indicative of their outlook — as was the case with Troy Brown at the Senior Bowl last year — it appears they are not. Wilkins is out, while the futures of Kugler and Young as members of the Patriots staff are both in question.
Potential replacements
With Hightower and Wilkins gone, the Patriots will need somebody else to work with their linebackers. How Mike Vrabel and Terrell Williams will structure their staff remains to be seen, but a look at who was reportedly brought aboard so far shows that there are two clear candidates to work with the unit.
Zak Kuhr: Before spending the 2024 season as a defensive assistant for the New York Giants, Kuhr worked under Mike Vrabel for four years. He started out in quality control before a three-year stint as the Tennessee Titans’ assistant linebackers coach.
Milton Patterson: Joining the Patriots from the college ranks, Patterson coached linebackers at Florida A&M for the last four years. In addition, he also worked as the school’s defensive coordinator in 2024.
In addition to Kuhr and Patterson, the Patriots also brought in another former Vrabel assistant, Clinton McMillan. McMillan worked as a defensive assistant, defensive line assistant, and pass rush specialist during his four years in Tennessee. While more likely to replace departed D-line coach Jerry Montgomery, he also might be in consideration to work with the (outside) linebackers.
New-look front seven
Hightower and Wilkins leaving the Patriots after just one year at their jobs is just the latest change to the defensive staff inherited by Mike Vrabel. Previously, he replaced defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington with his former assistant head coach in Tennessee, Terrell Williams, did not retain the aforementioned defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery, and saw coaching assistant Keith Jones take a job at Appalachian State.
With Covington, Montgomery and Jones all gone, and with Hightower and Wilkins now leaving the organization as well, the front seven in particular will look different in 2025. Given the results mentioned above, that does not come as a surprise.
Now, the focus shifts to the secondary. Will Mike Pellegrino and Brian Belichick, who coached cornerbacks and safeties in 2024, respectively, be back? Time will tell.