Patriots’ New-Look Staff Could Benefit From Underrated Addition

The Patriots have checked a ton of boxes while filling out their coaching staff, but not all of them.

Mike Vrabel has intentionally struck a balance between adding both experienced coaches and young assistants who are on the rise, which was seen in all three of his coordinator hires. Vrabel already has long-standing relationships with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and defensive coordinator Terrell Williams, both of whom combine for more than five decades of coaching experience. New England also found value in retaining special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer, whose youth and exuberance were highlights of his successful first season with the organization.

Doug Marrone, Thomas Brown, Tony Dews and Scott Booker are reported additions who fit the former description, most of whom will work on the offensive side of the ball. Ashton Grant, Riley Larkin, Zak Kuhr, Clinton McMillan, Kevin Richardson, Milton Patterson and Jason Houghtaling more accurately fit the latter, with all but the first two expected to serve on defense.

It’s a good mix, but the club seems to be missing a decently-important piece. Vrabel is the only member of the staff to have experience calling defensive signals in the NFL.

Williams — who will do so this season — obviously isn’t some young gun with zero experience, but he’s never taken on that role in a full-time capacity. The Patriots believe in his ability to find success, but if there’s hope that Vrabel can operate as CEO, they might want to add someone who can focus on being an aid to the first-time play-caller.

Brown was hired as an offensive passing game coordinator, who will help bring fresh perspectives to McDaniels. Williams could use something similar on the defensive side of the ball, and the current offseason landscape has plenty of options still looking for work.

Kris Richard was successful as defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks from 2015 to 2017 but found himself in lesser roles for the Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys over the last several seasons after leaving over personnel decisions. The Patriots could look for him to take on a defensive passing game coordinator under Williams, allowing him to have some real input for the first time in a while.

Ephraim Banda doesn’t have experience calling plays, but he is a highly-regarded safeties coach who recently spent time working with Vrabel as a member of the Cleveland Browns. Sean Desai called defensive signals for the Philadelphia Eagles a couple of seasons back and could look to take on another senior defensive role like he recently held with the Los Angeles Rams and Seahawks. Chris Harris worked with many of the recent additions in Tennessee, and could be a great option to take on an elevated role should he not land the New York Jets’ defensive coordinator job.

The Patriots seemingly have plenty of options to provide support for Williams, so why not pull the trigger?