What to know about new Patriots defensive coordinator Terrell Williams

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:

1. Disruptive D: What type of coach are the Patriots getting in Terrell Williams, who was named their defensive coordinator last week? And how might their style of play change under Williams?

What unfolded last offseason with the Lions might be a preview.

Williams laid a foundation with players after spending the prior six seasons with the Tennessee Titans under Mike Vrabel, which included asking star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson to meet him for dinner. Hutchinson, the No. 2 pick in the 2022 draft who has emerged as one of the NFL’s premier pass rushers, said it was the first time he’d been out to dinner with a coach one-on-one since his time at the University of Michigan. He felt the dinner was the springboard to a “special relationship.”

That relationship transferred to the field. When describing what Williams teaches on the field, Hutchinson explained: “Everything we do, we just pull the trigger. He really focuses on getting off the ball, striking blocks, and the rest will take care of itself.”

For a Patriots defense that finished last in the NFL with 28 sacks last season, and has traditionally employed more of a read-and-react approach, it appears things will be changing significantly under Williams.

“He preaches a very, very violent game,” longtime NFL coach Dave McGinnis, who has served as the Titans’ radio analyst since 2017, told ESPN.

“I go to practice every day and got to know T very, very well. I’ve been fortunate over my career to meet some really good defensive line coaches — Jim Washburn, Mike Waufle, some guys who really know how to get that group going — and Big T is the same way. He is an excellent teacher — a very technical coach, but also a very realistic coach who knows how to form his teaching to each individual. One thing they always did as a group was play extremely, extremely hard.”

The Patriots announced their three coordinators last week, and while most of the attention was understandably on offensive playcaller Josh McDaniels and how he might bring out the best in promising rookie quarterback Drake Maye, the impact Williams could have on the defense is equally as critical based on the unit’s regression this past season.

The Patriots allowed 27 passing touchdowns and intercepted seven passes — their 3.9 passing TD/interception differential was their worst in a season in franchise history. Only the Cleveland Browns (6.5) and Jacksonville Jaguars (4.8) were worse in 2024.

Furthermore, the Patriots’ defense allowed a 60.8 QBR, which was their worst in a season since ESPN began tracking in 2006 (previous worst 59.8 in 2018). Only the Carolina Panthers (64.7) and Jaguars (61.1) ranked lower last season.

The third-down defense allowed a 43.3 conversion rate, tied for 26th and the Patriots’ worst mark in a season since 2010 (47.1%).

Williams, 50, has paid his coaching dues to get to this point. He coached in college from 1998 to 2011, beginning his journey as defensive line coach at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas and ultimately landing at Texas A&M from 2010 to ’11, where he was lauded for his recruiting, among other things. In his early years, he was part of the NFL’s internship program to provide minority coaches with experience, working with the Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks.

In 2012, then-Raiders head coach Dennis Allen, who played at Texas A&M, provided Williams his full-time breakthrough into the NFL by hiring him as defensive line coach. Williams was with the Raiders for three seasons — Patriots Hall of Famer Richard Seymour was one of his starters in 2012 — before landing in Miami under Joe Philbin in 2015 and then staying on staff under Adam Gase in 2016-2017.

When Vrabel was named Titans head coach in 2018, he hired Williams to coach the defensive line, and by 2023 named him assistant head coach and had him serve as head coach of the team’s preseason opener. Vrabel cited Williams’ ability to “reach every player” across the roster — including offense.

Defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, one of the NFL’s top players at his position, is one of Williams’ biggest boosters.

Wow! So happy for Big T man! You deserve it Coach! Congrats to you and your family! https://t.co/6JtTVvRMTZ

— Jeffery Simmons (@GrindSimmons94) January 22, 2025

Such breadth will be important as defensive coordinator, as Williams’ responsibilities will expand beyond the front and incorporate pass coverage as well — something new for him. Vrabel hasn’t indicated publicly whether Williams will call the defense on game day, or if he plans to do so himself.

McGinnis, who was a defensive coordinator (1996-2000) and head coach (2000-03) with the Arizona Cardinals, believes Williams is more than qualified for the post.

“He knows football,” McGinnis said. “I don’t know how Vrabes will do that, but what you want from that position is not only being able to call a game, but someone who can present it and inspire a unit; be up there and have a little bit of gravitas in front of a group, and believability. ‘T’ has that. He is a ball-coaching dude.”

2. Third degree: How rare is the hiring of McDaniels? He is the first offensive or defensive coordinator since at least 1990 to have three different stints with the same team, according to ESPN Research.

3. Vrabel to Senior Bowl: Vrabel plans to be at Senior Bowl practices in Mobile, Alabama, this week — giving him a chance to evaluate and meet prospects in one of his first official events as Patriots coach.

Asked what he might view as a top theme for the Patriots at the Senior Bowl, ESPN NFL draft analyst Field Yates highlighted current pressing needs at offensive tackle, wide receiver and pass rusher, and what Vrabel, executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and Co. can expect to see in Mobile:

• OT: “Several players to keep an eye on — Oregon’s Josh Conerly Jr., Missouri’s Armand Membou (who may wind up as an NFL guard but was a right tackle last season), Arizona’s Jonah Savaiinaea (again, could be an NFL guard), Minnesota’s Aireontae Ersery, West Virginia’s Wyatt Milum and more. This class does not have the same star power at offensive tackle as last year’s did, but I do believe the depth is better in the first three rounds.”

• WR: “My highest-graded players that are expected to participate are Stanford’s Elic Ayomanor, Miami’s Xavier Restrepo, TCU’s Jack Bech and Utah State’s Jalen Royals. Ayomanor will land highest in my overall rankings, combining excellent size and downfield separation ability.”

• Edge: “The entire NFL will benefit from what is a very deep class this year, especially compared to last year. The names at the top of my big board that are expected to participate are Marshall’s Mike Green, Texas A&M’s Shemar Stewart and Texas A&M’s Nic Scourton. But to reiterate — there will be players with pass rushing juice that find their way closer to pick 75-100 range.”

• Extra point: “One of the prevailing themes of this year’s draft is depth at running back, defensive tackle and tight end. It’s almost like a 2-for-1 special this year, as many believe this is the deepest draft in years at all three spots. Very good players will be available Day 3.”

4. Draft scenarios: ESPN senior NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper’s first mock draft, and accompanying “SportsCenter Special,” sets the table for a scenario the Patriots might ultimately consider with the fourth pick in the draft.

If two quarterbacks are selected within the first three picks and Penn State linebacker Abdul Carter is available, do they pounce?

ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller compared Carter to Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons. Notably, Kiper didn’t have the first offensive linemen off the board until the 10th and 11th picks, and that is among the top needs for New England.

Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez is a finalist for the AP Comeback Player of the Year award.

Second-team All-Pro season after missing 13 games in 2023.

His competition: Bengals QB Joe Burrow, Vikings QB Sam Darnold, Chargers RB J.K. Dobbins, Bills S Damar Hamlin.

— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) January 23, 2025

5. Springer’s special teams: One connection that might have contributed to Vrabel’s decision to retain special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer is with Los Angeles Rams special teams coach Chase Blackburn. Springer and Blackburn worked together in L.A. in 2023, the year after Blackburn had spent the 2022 season on Vrabel’s staff in Tennessee.

Patriots long-snapper Joe Cardona, a team captain, said he was pleased to hear of the return of Springer and top assistant Tom Quinn, pointing out they managed a challenging injury situation and put players in position to succeed regardless.

“Jeremy is full of energy, brings it every single day. He is always consistent — it’s tireless optimism and a relentlessly positive attitude he was able to maintain, which isn’t always easy in New England, especially with the season we had,” he said. “He treats the position as a responsibility to the players and the fans. When people are looking to see who is accountable, he is the first person to raise his hand and say ‘It’s on me.’ As a player, that’s all you want in a coach.”

6. Brown on radar: The Patriots had interviewed interim Chicago Bears head coach Thomas Brown for their offensive coordinator job that ultimately went to McDaniels, but Brown is still in talks with the team to potentially join the staff in a different role, according to league sources.

Brown opened last season as the Bears’ passing game coordinator, and the Patriots could potentially look towards that type of role for him, in addition to working with a specific position group.

7. Cardona’s presence: Cardona, the Patriots’ longest-tenured player (set to enter his 11th season in New England), attended Vrabel’s introductory news conference on Jan. 13. He and center David Andrews sat together as the lone players on hand.

Cardona was asked why he attended, and what resonated most to him.

“My reason for going was to get the vision, kind of get the marching orders, and know what to expect, be able to take it into the offseason and think through my role and how I can best serve the team,” he said. “One thing that really stood out to me is ‘there are things that are interesting, and there are things that are important.’ … It’s interesting to have had success before, but at this point it’s not important. What’s important now is the work we have ahead of us.”

8. QB coaching: The Patriots continue to fill out Vrabel’s coaching staff, with Cleveland’s Ashton Grant — whose official title was offensive assistant/quarterbacks — set to come aboard as quarterbacks coach.

Grant, a native of Manchester, Connecticut, played at Assumption College (Worcester, Massachusetts). One of his first jobs was as a quality control coach at Holy Cross in 2019-20. McDaniels has always been the top QB voice in his role as coordinator, and that will continue, with Grant as his top aide.

9. Did You Know, Part I: The Chiefs broke a tie with the 2010 Patriots — who had played seven straight games without a turnover — with their eighth straight turnover-free game in a divisional round playoff win last week over the Houston Texans. It is the longest streak by an NFL team since 1933, including playoffs.

10. Did You Know, Part II: In hiring Vrabel to replace Jerod Mayo, the Patriots became the fourth team since 1970 with back-to-back head coaches who also played for them. The others are the Bears’ Jim Dooley (1968-1971)/Abe Gibron (1972-1974), the Eagles’ Jerry Williams (1970-1971)/Ed Khayat (1971-1972) and the Packers’ Bart Starr (1975-1983)/Forrest Gregg (1984-1987).

Source: www.espn.com