FOXBORO — One of the first hires Mike Vrabel made as the Patriots’ head coach netted ex-Lions and Titans defensive assistant Terrell Williams as his defensive coordinator.
The Patriots announced Williams’ addition in late January, and haven’t seen much of him since.
Williams has spent most of the past two months connecting with players and assistant coaches via video conference, while he recovers from what he described as a “traumatic” health event that occurred on a spring trip home to Detroit. In Williams’ place, the Patriots have temporarily promoted inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr while they conclude their final voluntary spring practices and head into mandatory minicamp next week.
Speaking with reporters for the first time since his promotion, Kuhr said he’s simply been following orders from Williams and Vrabel in team meetings and on the practice field, where he’s called plays.
“I’m just an extension of (Williams) and Vrabes and echoing that message to the unit,” Kuhr said before Monday’s OTA practice. “(Williams) and I meet every single day. We talk every single day with Zoom, so we’re always on the same page. It’s really my voice is now the one doing it.”
Kuhr worked under Vrabel and Williams in Tennessee, starting as a quality control coach in 2020. Before joining the Titans, he coached offense in the college ranks and became the offensive coordinator at Texas State; an experience he says now serves him.
“I’ve been a coordinator before,” Kuhr said. “I know it was at the college level, but I’ve been in front of a unit before and ran unit meetings. I did that for a couple of years, so I wouldn’t say it’s anything too new.”
After his debut season in Tennessee, Kuhr served as the Titans’ assistant linebackers coach for the next three seasons. Last year, he worked as a defensive assistant for the Giants before Vrabel re-hired him in New England. Williams praised his interim replacement during his only interview as the Patriots’ defensive coordinator last month.
“I think (Kuhr)’s going to be a superstar in this league,” Williams said. “(He’s) smart, and more than anything, I think that he has the ability to connect with players. … So really, I think the defense is in good, good hands.”
