From training camp uncertainty to a postseason defense that terrorized opponents, Zak Kuhr’s rise was one of 2025’s biggest surprises. Now the Patriots are making it official—and betting the aggression carries over into 2026.
The New England Patriots’ 2025 season got off to a rocky start on the sidelines.
In training camp, first-year defensive coordinator Terrell Williams was forced to take an extended leave away from the team after being diagnosed with cancer.
In stepped inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr — who spent 2020-2023 as an assistant under head coach Mike Vrabel with the Tennessee Titans — to call plays for New England’s defense, and the results were surprisingly impressive.
The Patriots ranked as the fourth overall defense in the NFL during the regular season. They were fourth in points against per game (18.8), eighth in yards against per game (295.2), ninth in passing yards against per game (193.5), sixth in rushing yards against per game (101.7), and 12th in opponent third down conversion percentage (38.5%).
In the playoffs, New England’s defense turned the dial to 11. In their three postseason wins, the Patriots allowed a total of just 26 points (8.7 points per game), created eight takeaways (five interceptions, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries), racked up 12 sacks, 19 quarterback hits, generated 100 total pressures, allowed a passer rating against of just 56.1, and held opposing running backs to just 2.4 yards per carry.
New England brought heat — blitzing on over 45% of quarterback dropbacks in the postseason — and did so from a multitude of different packages. Linebackers, safeties, and corners were all involved in the pressure package, and they threatened from all angles.
The Patriots mixed their looks up frequently — walking additional rushers into gaps on the line of scrimmage or tight into the box to show pressure pre-snap, then dropping those rushers into coverage and bringing blitzers elsewhere, simulating pressure from one side and attacking the offense’s weak points from an alternative location.
They ran defensive line games or stunts at the highest rate in the NFL this postseason, forcing the offensive line to pass off blocks and communicate post-snap, with additional rushers joining the party soon thereafter.
Even in their Super Bowl loss, the defense was New England’s strength for much of the game. They held Sam Darnold to a 19-of-38 (50%) day, and completely negated the effectiveness of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who caught just four of 10 targets for 27 yards to conclude a nearly 2,000 yard season.
Now, Williams is cancer-free and has been promoted to a senior-level position to remain with the team — while Kuhr (37) officially takes over as the full-time defensive coordinator with the Patriots.
Kuhr’s defensive scheme embodied the mentality of Vrabel’s aggressive, violent, “effort and finish” identity through his play calling and the team’s performance on the field. Through the postseason, New England had the number one overall ranked defense in the NFL — and tormented the opposition en route to a Super Bowl LX berth.
That aggressiveness looks to have impressed the brass in Foxboro enough to award Kuhr a full-time play-calling role, and it continues a trend of continuity on the coaching staff heading into 2026.
The Patriots will be running it back with many of the same organizational fixtures that brought them success in 2025 — with Kuhr’s high level of performance being the most unexpected of all.
He now holds the cards on defense in a more official capacity, and will have a full offseason to build upon the success he experienced last season.
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