Last season, when Terrell Williams stepped away to undergo treatment for prostate cancer, Mike Vrabel turned to then-inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr to take over defensive play-calling duties.
It marked the first time Kuhr had called a defense, and after assuming the role following Week 1, he helped oversee one of the NFL’s top units.
The Patriots allowed just 18.8 points per game, the fourth-fewest in the league, while surrendering only 295.24 yards per game, the eighth-fewest. They finished sixth against the run and ninth against the pass.
When the postseason arrived, the group elevated its play even more. The Patriots allowed a league-low 13.8 points per game during the playoffs while giving up just 241 yards per game, second only to Houston. Their eight takeaways were tied for the most in the postseason.
With Williams now cancer-free and transitioning into an assistant head coach role this offseason, the Patriots’ decision to promote Kuhr to full-time defensive coordinator was an easy one, and one that clearly resonated throughout the locker room.
“I don’t think anybody is more deserving than him. Stepping into that defensive coordinator role and just doing what he did in the postseason, and throughout the whole season, it was really special and really cool just to get to see him operate on the sideline, and see how he’s calling plays, and see how he talks to just the defensive guys the night before games,” Brenden Schooler said.
“You can tell how much he loves this group, how much he loves his job, and so to see that fire and passion, it definitely rubs off on the leaders on the defense, and then that rubs off onto the rest of the guys on the defense, and the next thing you know, everyone’s got that same mindset, that same energy. Once you have a group of men who have the same direction, it’s kind of hard to stop, and so to see him get elevated into that role was awesome. I was super happy for him.”
Brenden Schooler on Zak Kuhr being hired as the Patriots defensive coordinator:
— WEEI (@WEEI) https://twitter.com/WEEI/status/205677598204488918...">May 19, 2026
“I don't think anybody is more deserving than him. Stepping into that defensive coordinator role and just doing what he did in the postseason and throughout the whole season, it was really special.” https://t.co/CV0I9I2e1v">pic.twitter.com/CV0I9I2e1v
The 38-year-old Kuhr is still early in his career as a defensive coach. As recently as 2018 at Texas State, he served as co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach before making the transition to the defensive side of the ball. He got his first NFL opportunity as a defensive quality control coach under Vrabel with the Titans in 2020, then was promoted to inside linebackers assistant the following year, a role he held through 2023. After Vrabel’s departure in Tennessee, Kuhr spent a season with the New York Giants as a defensive assistant before reuniting with Vrabel in New England.
“I commend him for stepping into shoes that were big shoes at the time. He had never been in that situation,” Marcus Jones said. “But at the end of the day, he was always letting us know certain plays, certain schemes – ‘how do you guys feel about this?’ He talked to us on the back end, and also talked to the guys, like, what type of blitzes, ‘what are they doing right here? What do you guys see out there on the field?’ It’s a team effort at the end of the day. I feel like everyone on the coaching staff always asks the players, ‘How do you feel about this?’ And that means a lot, because at the end of the day, they can see it out there on the field, but they’re not us on the field as well. So, I feel like it’s a team thing.”
After 20 games in control of the defensive headset, Kuhr enters his first full season as coordinator with the unit already acclimated to his voice and approach, leaving little adjustment needed for the players.
“I wouldn’t say there is a big difference,” Craig Woodson said. “Last year, he did a great job coming in and being able to call plays like he did. This year, he’s just going to build on that.”
