New England Patriots hire Terrell Williams as defensive coordinator
Updated: 4:23 PM EST Jan 22, 2025
OF THE OLD GUYS? OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO WE TOLD YOU A DAY AGO THAT JOSH MCDANIELS WAS HIRED AS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR FOR THE THIRD TIME, JOINING HIM ON THE DEFENSIVE SIDE OF THE BALL AS A COACH. UNKNOWN TO MOST, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS HAVE HIRED TERRELL WILLIAMS AS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR. YOU SEE HIM HERE WITH VRABEL. HE WAS HIS DEFENSIVE LINE COACH IN TENNESSEE FROM 2018 THROUGH 2023. HE ADDED THE TITLE OF ASSISTANT HEAD COACH LAST YEAR WITH THE TITANS WHEN HE WAS WITH VRABEL. WILLIAMS IS 50 YEARS OLD. HE WAS IN DETROIT LAST SEASON AS THE RUN GAME COORDINATOR. IN ADDITION TO DEFENSIVE LINE COACH. WORTH NOTING HIS RUSH DEFENSE WAS FIFTH BEST IN THE LEAGUE LAST YEAR, AND THEY WERE WITHOUT THEIR BEST PLAYER FOR MOST OF THE SEASON. AIDAN HUTCHINSON, BY CONTRAST, PATRIOTS RUSH DEFENSE WAS 23RD RANKED, GIVING UP 131 YARDS PER GAME. WILLIAMS NEVER PLAYED IN THE NFL, BUT HAS TIES TO EAST CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST OHIO. HE COACHED AT YOUNGSTOWN STATE AND AKRON, AND VRABEL AND MCDANIELS BOTH HAVE OHIO ROOTS. JERRY SPRINGER IS THE GUY I TOLD YOU ABOUT. HE IS A SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR. HE WAS THE SPECI
The New England Patriots have hired Terrell Williams as the team’s defensive coordinator, the team said Wednesday. Williams, 50, will reunite with newly named Pats head coach Mike Vrabel, who he coached with for six seasons for the Tennessee Titans. Williams has 27 years of coaching experience. His NFL coaching career started in 2012 as the defensive line coach with the Oakland Raiders 2012-2014. He then spent three seasons from 2015 to 2017 as the defensive line coach for the Miami Dolphins.In 2024, Williams was the Detroit Lions run game coordinator/defensive line coach, where the rush defense in Detroit was fifth best in the league — without their best player for most of the season. By contrast, the Patriots rush defense was the 23rd ranked in the league, giving up 131 yards per game on the ground. A native of Los Angeles, Williams never played in the NFL, but played college ball at East Carolina and had college coaching stints in Youngstown and Akron.Earlier this week, the Patriots hired Josh McDaniels as offensive coordinator.Jeremy Springer returns as special teams coordinator.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. —The New England Patriots have hired Terrell Williams as the team’s defensive coordinator, the team said Wednesday.
Williams, 50, will reunite with newly named Pats head coach Mike Vrabel, who he coached with for six seasons for the Tennessee Titans.
Williams has 27 years of coaching experience. His NFL coaching career started in 2012 as the defensive line coach with the Oakland Raiders 2012-2014. He then spent three seasons from 2015 to 2017 as the defensive line coach for the Miami Dolphins.
In 2024, Williams was the Detroit Lions run game coordinator/defensive line coach, where the rush defense in Detroit was fifth best in the league — without their best player for most of the season. By contrast, the Patriots rush defense was the 23rd ranked in the league, giving up 131 yards per game on the ground.
A native of Los Angeles, Williams never played in the NFL, but played college ball at East Carolina and had college coaching stints in Youngstown and Akron.
Earlier this week, the Patriots hired Josh McDaniels as offensive coordinator.
Jeremy Springer returns as special teams coordinator.
