Since Mike Vrabel was introduced as the next head coach of the New England Patriots, he has taken his time to fill out his staff for the 2025 season. Although he told reporters that was his plan from the get-go, he appears methodical with each new hire, even if most have connections to him from the Titans or the Browns.
Some of those hired were quick, while others took some time, like the return of Josh McDaniels as the offensive coordinator. Vrabel has impressed with his decisions thus far, as he has clearly emphasized toughness and experience as the main factors for who he has brought in, and that's apparent with the latest hire as the next wide receivers coach.
The team hasn't officially announced it yet, but reporters revealed that Todd Downing would be joining the staff in that role. He has connections to Vrabel from Tenneesee, which concerns some due to the pattern of familiarity continuing in New England beyond the Bill Belichick era, yet Boston Sports Journal's Greg Bedard shared Downing's hiring wasn't up to Vrabel and was instead a move made by McDaniels.
Josh McDaniels is reportedly having a say in who will join the Patriots offensive staff
Bedard discussed the Patriots' latest moves on a new episode of "Patriots Press Pass" earlier this week, revealing details about how Downing was brought on board, which is said to be more of a McDaniels decision than Vrabel.
“They went through extensive searches… they talked to a lot of college receivers coaches. But, from what I understand, [Mike] Vrabel was not going to force anybody on McDaniels… Vrabel wasn’t even involved in the Todd Downing interview. [Vrabel] wanted to make sure that if it was Todd Downing [being hired], that McDaniels really wanted him.
From what I understand, that is true. McDaniels really wanted him, really liked him… McDaniels, he didn’t even need a former receivers coach. He just wanted a really good coach.”
This is a far more collaborative effort than expected in a Vrabel regime, mainly due to his previous experience as a head coach. McDaniels' two failed tenures in that position made it seem as though he wouldn't be involved in these kinds of decisions, but considering Downing will be working alongside him, it makes sense for Vrabel to involve him.
There are some questions about Downing's fit in the position since the receiving corps was an absolute disaster in 2024, and this will be his first time as the wide receivers coach. However, he has a long history of working with offenses across the league since 2005, and clearly, McDaniels believes he is the right guy for the job, which means something.