FOXBOROUGH – After he was hired, Mike Vrabel meticulously put together a talented coaching staff.
He tabbed the experienced Josh McDaniels to lead a veteran-laden offensive coaching staff. On defense, Vrabel hired his longtime assistant Terrell Williams to be his defensive coordinator. The Patriots coach made sure to hire a staff that had experience in his defensive system from Tennessee.
Little did anyone know that a scary medical situation would leave Vrabel’s team without their defensive coordinator for most of his first season in New England. When Williams was diagnosed with prostate cancer in September, Vrabel never hesitated, promoting inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr to be his new defensive play-caller.
An assistant inside linebackers coach in Tennessee, Kuhr was the co-offensive coordinator at James Madison in 2015, but never coordinated a defense – until called up this season. As the Patriots head into the playoffs against the Los Angeles Chargers, one of the biggest stories this season has been how well Kuhr has done in his new role.
“I’m just grateful to be here,” Kuhr said. “I’m really appreciative of Vrabes bringing me here. And I treat every day like it’s Super Bowl fourth-and-1 and give every ounce of effort I have to help everybody here.”
Under Kuhr’s leadership, the Patriots’ defense finished the 2025 NFL season as one of the top units in the NFL. The group finished fourth in the league in points allowed per game (18.8), sixth in rush defense, eighth in total yards, and ninth in pass defense.
They did this despite having their highest-paid player and best defensive lineman, Milton Williams, land on the injured reserve and miss five games. They accomplished all that with their leading tackler and top linebacker, Robert Spillane, who missed the final four games with an injury. The Patriots’ defense also didn’t have its leading pass rusher, Harold Landy, for the final two games.
Despite the injuries to three of the defense’s best players, the unit still allowed less than 20 points per game in the final six games.
This offseason, Kuhr filled in for Williams during OTAs and minicamp. The defensive coordinator returned to the team in training camp and was the play-caller during Week 1. The next week, Vrabel announced that Williams was stepping away from the team to focus on his health following his cancer diagnosis.
Vrabel immediately tabbed Kuhr as the in-season replacement. Although he started his collegiate career as an offensive coach, Kuhr was mentored on the defensive side of the ball by veteran coordinators Jim Schwartz and Shane Bowen in Tennessee.
Kuhr was with Bowen last season in New York before joining Vrabel in New England. This season marked the first time he called defensive plays.
“I don’t know if (I got in a) groove, but obviously, game in, game out, you just get more experience, more situations pop up,” Kuhr said. “That helps you prepare yourself for the next time it comes up. The reaction time’s a little bit quicker.”
The Patriots’ defense will have its work cut out for it this Sunday night against the Chargers and their talented quarterback, Justin Herbert. It’ll be up to Kuhr’s defense to stop them.
The coach said he hasn’t had time to reflect on his journey this season or what it means to be a first-time defensive coordinator heading to the playoffs.
“I haven’t had any time to think about that,” Kuhr said. “I’m just head down next day, do whatever I can to help the team win, help the players be successful, you know, not let the staff down or the players down and do everything I can possible to help them be successful.”
