FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The interim tag is officially gone. The New England Patriots promoted linebackers coach Zak Kuhr to full-time defensive coordinator, rewarding the 37-year-old for a masterful 2025 campaign. When original hire Terrell Williams stepped away for prostate cancer treatments early last season, Kuhr grabbed the reins. He didn’t just keep the seat warm; he turned the New England defense into a buzzsaw, surrendering a suffocating 8.6 points per game during their AFC playoff run before falling 29-13 to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX.
Checking the Rooney Rule Boxes
To comply with NFL hiring regulations, head coach Mike Vrabel and the front office interviewed external minority candidates. Browns safeties coach Ephraim Banda flew onto their radar. Banda brought a loaded resume, drawing coordinator interest from Dallas, the New York Jets, and New England this winter. The 44-year-old built a reputation in Cleveland by elevating the play of defensive backs like Grant Delpit and Ronnie Hickman.
Banda won’t be packing his bags for Foxborough. The Browns locked him down by adding defensive passing game coordinator to his title. He stays in Cleveland to work under their new defensive boss, Mike Rutenberg.
The Patriots didn’t leave the coaching carousel empty-handed. Vrabel hired Southern Mississippi running backs coach B.J. Edmonds to join the defensive staff. Edmonds cut his teeth as a defensive assistant under Banda at Utah State in 2021 and 2022. He previously worked with New England during the 2025 training camp, adding a familiar, analytical mind to the Patriots’ war room.
“Zak has been fantastic. I think that, much like players when given opportunities, coaches sometimes have the same thing. When they get more opportunity, they take advantage of it and then turn that into something else.”
— Mike Vrabel, Head Coach, New England Patriots
What’s Next for the New England Defense
The 2026 mission starts now. Kuhr inherits a unit that finished fourth in scoring defense last year, allowing a stingy 18.8 points per game. The scheme remains largely intact, offering crucial continuity for a locker room still stinging from the Super Bowl loss. You can already feel the winter chill giving way to intense spring preparations outside Gillette Stadium. Kuhr’s immediate challenge involves plugging holes in the secondary and deciding how to handle pending free agents like safety Jaylinn Hawkins. If his 2025 play-calling was just the appetizer, the rest of the AFC East should fear the main course.
