The Patriots have named Zak Kuhr their new defensive coordinator, a supply confirmed to the Herald.
Kuhr, 37, takes over after serving because the group’s interim defensive coordinator this previous season instead of Terrell Williams, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer after Week 1. Although Williams is now cancer-free, the Patriots opted to move him final week right into a senior teaching place and open the coordinator job. Kuhr, who formally served final season because the group’s inside linebackers coach, was a number one candidate for the job.
Below Kuhr’s management, the Patriots’ protection powered the group’s Tremendous Bowl run by permitting 12 factors per sport within the postseason. Late within the 12 months, Kuhr pivoted the unit to a blitz-happy strategy that relied closely on scheme strain and tight protection from their defensive backs. Within the playoffs, the Pats recorded 13 sacks and 31 quarterback hits, whereas they allowed simply three passing touchdowns over 4 video games.
Within the common season, the Patriots ranked fourth in factors allowed at 18.8 per sport.
Kuhr made a meteoric rise to his first NFL coordinator place, initially breaking in with the Titans as a top quality management coach in 2020. A longtime offensive coach within the faculty ranks, he modified sides to protection within the professionals and rose to assistant inside linebackers coach in 2021, a place he held for 3 seasons. After Mike Vrabel was fired as the pinnacle coach in Tennessee, Kuhr spent the 2024 season as a defensive assistant with the Giants earlier than Vrabel re-hired him in New England as his inside linebackers coach.
“He’s gifted,” Vrabel mentioned final month. “Having the ability to do what he did offensively, after which study what we had been doing defensively and sort of study the sport, but in addition have the ability to present help with the coaches as possibly why offenses had been doing what they had been doing or whether or not among the zone-read components from faculty had been beginning to creep in or we might see extra issues, extra unfold formations and (run-pass choices) — he shortly grew as a coach. And I needed to proceed to work with him and maintain him part of what we had been doing.”
Kuhr first assumed interim defensive coordinator duties final spring when Williams left the group because of one other medical scare separate from his most cancers prognosis. He’s reportedly signed a three-year deal as coordinator, and can preside over a protection that’s anticipated to deliver again most of its starters for the 2026 season.
ESPN reported defensive assistant Vinny DePalma would be the group’s new inside linebackers coach.
