UPDATE: The Patriots officially announced the hiring of Terrell Williams as defensive coordinator on Wednesday afternoon. The original version of this story appears below.
After reportedly agreeing to a deal to bring back Josh McDaniels as offensive coordinator on Tuesday, the Patriots and head coach Mike Vrabel now have their defensive coordinator as well. ESPN's Adam Schefter and Mike Reiss reported Wednesday morning that New England is hiring Terrell Williams to run the defense.
Williams most recently served as the Detroit Lions' defensive line coach this past season. Before that, he spent six years on Vrabel's staff in Tennessee, serving as defensive line coach from 2018-22 before adding the "assistant head coach" title in 2023. Vrabel had Williams act as the Titans' head coach in their 2023 preseason opener.
Williams, 50, has also been the defensive line coach for the Miami Dolphins (2015-17), Oakland Raiders (2012-14), Texas A&M (2010-11) and Purdue (2006-09). This will be his first coordinator job.
Williams will look to turn around a Patriots defense that took a major step back under head coach Jerod Mayo and coordinator DeMarcus Covington in 2024, as the unit ranked 22nd in both points and yards allowed after ranking seventh in yards and 15th in points in 2023.
With the hiring of Williams, Vrabel's coordinators are now all set, with Williams on defense, McDaniels on offense, and Jeremy Springer retained as special teams coordinator.