The New England Patriots have their new defensive coordinator, and no one should be surprised by the choice. As first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Patriots are removing the interim tag from Zak Kuhr's job title and promoting him to defensive coordinator full-time.
Kuhr took over defensive play-calling duties after Week 1 when then-defensive coordinator Terrell Williams stepped away after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Williams remained around the team throughout the season, but in a reduced role. He got a clean bill of health just before the Super Bowl and traveled with the team to Santa Clara.
Head coach Mike Vrabel acknowledged after the season that there were discussions to be had regarding how the defensive coordinator situation would be handled moving forward. However, things were quickly resolved last week when Williams was moved out of the coordinator role and into "a high-ranking role on the staff."
That paved the way for the 37-year-old Kuhr to officially take over the defensive coordinator job for good, which is exactly what has now happened.
Kuhr helped the Patriots defense finish fourth in the regular season in points allowed (18.8 per game). But his best arguably came in the playoffs, when New England held the Chargers, Texans and Broncos to 3, 16 and 7 points, respectively, en route to an AFC title, before the Pats ultimately fell to the Seahawks, 29-13, in the Super Bowl.
Kuhr previously worked with Vrabel in Tennessee from 2020-23, first as a defensive quality control coach and then as inside linebackers coach. He was a defensive assistant for the Giants in 2024.
Kuhr joined Vrabel's Patriots staff originally as inside linebackers coach before taking on the additional responsibilities early in the season.