INDIANAPOLIS — If the Patriots struggle again in 2025, it won’t be for lack of experience on the coaching staff.
Head coach Mike Vrabel assembled an impressive group of assistants that includes two former head coaches in offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and offensive line coach Doug Marrone, a former interim head coach in passing game coordinator and tight ends coach Thomas Brown and a former offensive coordinator in wide receivers coach Todd Downing.
“Just looking at the staff, extremely proud of the staff we were able to put together. It’s difficult in the National Football League to be able to get every coach that you may covet or may want to get outside of the coordinators, just because of the rules, teams are under contract, some teams want to keep the coaches that they have, they feel like they’re good coaches, but we put together a great staff, one that we’re really proud of,” Vrabel said Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Vrabel said he had “numerous conversations” with McDaniels last season when Vrabel was a consultant for the Browns and McDaniels was out of the league after being fired by the Raiders midway through the 2023 season.
“Interviewed a handful of great candidates and in the end felt like Josh was the best fit to lead our offense, just like Terrell (Williams) was the best fit to lead our defense and Jeremy (Springer) and Tom (Quinn) returning to lead the special teams unit.”
The Patriots only brought back a handful of coaches from last season’s staff. That includes another former head coach in Ben McAdoo who, despite his history on the offensive side of the ball, will assist Williams on the defensive side of the ball.
Vrabel, a former defensive coordinator, did something similar last season with the Browns by working with tight ends and offensive linemen.
“It’s something that I’ve thought was very beneficial to those coaches, to me, to have conversations, the way that some offensive coaches see things and the way that defensive coaches may see them a little differently,” Vrabel said. “And so I’ve been able to do that in New England and moved Ben over to defense to help Terrell and that staff just look at it from an offensive perspective and things we can make sure that we’re taking care of and not letting slip.”
The Patriots also brought back assistant offensive line coach Robert Kugler, defensive assistant Vinny DePalma and strength and conditioning coach Deron Mayo, the brother of former head coach Jerod Mayo.