Patriots DC Zak Kuhr's Motivation Stems From Two Important Things
After defensive coordinator Terrell Williams was diagnosed with prostate cancer and had to step away from the team, New England Patriots inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr was thrown into a really tough position in 2025.
He had never called plays before at the NFL level and had never earned the title of coordinator at any of the stops he had prior to New England. Despite that, head coach Mike Vrabel trusted him to handle the playcalling duties last season.
To say that he passed that test with flying colors would be the understatement of a lifetime. The Patriots' defense flew around the field and rattled off 17 total wins en route to Super Bowl LX. Plenty of that is because of the coaching of Kuhr, who was promoted to the full-time defensive coordinator role this past offseason.
Kuhr has expressed plenty of gratitude in the promotion, one that no one really saw as a surprise. After all, he had done so well that it would have been almost impossible to take the playsheet out of his hands at this point.
Now the 38-year-old Kuhr is relishing in his new title, but with several chips on his shoulder as he embarks on the new journey. Speaking to reporters during mandatory minicamp last month, Kuhr mentioned the two things that keep him going.
Kuhr Finds Doubt To Be Motivating
"There's two things that really motivate me -- belief and doubt," Kuhr said. "The people that believe in me, I go that much harder for them. I truly believe that Vrabes believes in me. Terrell, everybody on the staff. And then truly the people that doubt me drive me that much as well. When I hear that (doubt), and I hear that, 'Hey, we believe in you.' Yes, it drives me, absolutely."
The Patriots got plenty of contributions from their defensive stars last year, including Milton Williams, Marcus Jones and Christian Gonzalez. They also got the best out of some under-the-radar players, including rookie safety Craig Woodson, his position mate Jaylinn Hawkins and defensive tackle Cory Durden.
Now after a few bad seasons, the Patriots are back in full force. That defensive unit, one that was among the league's elite in the postseason, is bound to make noise, even with plenty of personnel changes. Big names on last year's squad, including Khyiris Tonga, K'Lavon Chaisson and Jack Gibbens, are all gone. Seeing how Kuhr will get the most out of their replacements will be fascinating ... and could lead to more promotion talk.
In a recent Pro Football Focus article, Kuhr was mentioned on a shortlist of assistants who could make noise as potential head coaching candidates in the near future. While that may be a bit premature at the moment, it's not out of the realm of possibilities. If he can put together another campaign like he did a year ago, the chatter surrounding yet another step up on the ladder will only start to build across the NFL.
"Kuhr's defense was especially suffocating in the postseason, permitting only three touchdowns on 49 drives courtesy of a staggering 50.3% pressure rate and a 43.5% blitz rate," PFF's Bradley Locker wrote. "If New England can sustain that kind of dominant defense in 2026 with some new faces - and improve its defensive line play - then the 38-year-old Kuhr might be poised for a leap."
Could He Be In Line For HC Jobs In The Future?
Kuhr has kept a level head during the new title change. It also helps that most of the coaching staff from a season ago is still in place. Vinny DePalma, who was a defensive assistant, took over for Kuhr at inside linebackers. Williams is now titled "assistant head coach." It's a group effort when it comes to the Patriots defense in 2026, and Kuhr is leaning into that headspace.
"I wouldn't say it's what I want to do. I always use the word 'we.' It's what we want to do," Kuhr said. "I don't think there's a lot of difference from last year to this year as far as the staff collaboration. We did that last year and continue to do so. It's a lot of different ideas, not just me. I would say it's pretty smooth going. We have a lot of experience with each other. After last year, we riffed off each other pretty well.
"We've had some good ideas, and this is the best time right now to try that stuff out in the lab, out there on the field."
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/patriots/onsi as Patriots DC Zak Kuhr's Motivation Stems From Two Important Things.
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This story was originally published July 1, 2026 at 6:00 AM.