The New England Patriots are hiring former Detroit Lions defensive line coach Terrell Williams to be their new defensive coordinator, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Mike Reiss.
The Patriots officially announced Williams as the team’s defensive coordinator Wednesday afternoon. He will now be tasked with turning around a Patriots defense that was a massive disappointment in 2024, allowing 343.3 yards per game (11th-worst in the NFL) and 24.5 points per game (also 11th-worst).
New England also brought back Josh McDaniels as the team’s offensive coordinator.
Who is Terrell Williams?
Williams has enjoyed success with new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel in the past, serving as one of his top assistants when Vrabel was head coach of the Tennessee Titans. He was the Titans defensive line coach for six years from 2018 to 2023, and was also Vrabel’s assistant head coach for the 2023 season.
Williams, 50, has a long history as a defensive line coach at both the college and pro level. He was in that role for six different colleges from 1998-2011, which included stints at Purdue and Texas A&M. Williams got his first NFL gig in 2012 when was the defensive line coach for the Oakland Raiders. He was in Oakland for three seasons and then three more with the Miami Dolphins before he joined Vrabel’s staff in Tennessee.
After Vrabel was fired by the Titans, Williams made his way to Detroit for the 2024 season, where he was Dan Campbell’s defensive line coach and run game coordinator. The Lions had the fifth-best run defense in the NFL, holding opponents to just 98.4 rushing yards per game.
Detroit was also a dominant run team last season, rushing for 182 yards per game while averaging 4.3 yards per attempt, ranking fifth in the NFL.
Mike Vrabel’s Patriots coaching staff
Vrabel has now filled his top two coordinator positions with McDaniels and Williams, and he is reportedly set to bring back special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer.
The top of the New England staff appears to be set, and now Vrabel and company will work toward building out the rest of the staff as they plan for the 2025 season.
