Aside from the coordinators, Mike Vrabel had no more significant hire at hand than who he tabbed to be his offensive line coach. On Monday, the Patriots' first-year head coach plucked veteran Doug Marrone from friend Bill O'Brien's Boston College staff for an undetermined role as of this writing. But make no bones about it: Marrone will undoubtedly be asked to lend a hand, if not oversee/coach that OL group.
Since being fired as the head coach in Jacksonville back in 2020, Marrone has bounced around, spending a year as the offensive line coach at Alabama under Nick Saban (he coached top-10 pick Evan Neal), then two years in New Orleans with the Saints in the same capacity before joining O'Brien on Chestnut Hill as a Senior Analyst for Football Strategy.
Scott Peters, who spent one year in New England, moved on, taking the OL coach job in Cincinnati. The Pats ranked 30th in offensive DVOA, allowed 35 sacks, 37 QB hits, and 159 hurries (per PFF).
The Pats are also bringing Jason Houghtaling aboard. He was the assistant line coach for the Titans under Vrabel from 2021-23. Houghtaling was with the Bears last season.
In addition, former Chicago Bears interim boss Thomas Brown is reportedly also now in the fold as passing game coordinator and tight end coach. Brown had interviewed for the offensive coordinator post that went to Josh McDaniels. He has a broad background, breaking into the league in 2020 under Sean McVay in Los Angeles. Brown was the running backs coach, added the assistant head coach role a year later, and became tight ends coach in 2022 (while keeping that Asst HC title). He departed for Carolina to be the offensive coordinator, but Frank Reich called the plays, handed the responsibilities over to Brown, and then took them back before Reich was fired. Brown landed in Chicago as the pass game coordinator until Matt Eberflus was canned, then took over the big chair.
BSJ ANALYSIS
Marrone comes to NE with the highest recommendations from O'Brien and Saban. Having covered those Jaguars teams (the 2017-18 version almost upset the Pats in the AFC Title game in Foxborough) during my time at NFL Network, he was well-respected for his work by coaches across the league. Like many head coaches, he was eventually doomed by poor quarterback play (hello, Blake Bortles), poor roster construction (GM Dave Caldwell), and the unsettling presence of Jalen Ramsey (Trust me. He was a disaster). The Pats will undergo a major upheaval on the offensive line again this season, with the need for at least two new starters but possibly as many as four (depending on how the current regime views Layden Robinson and David Andrews' status). Marrone has seen just about everything at a number of levels if, in fact, he ends up coaching the group. If not, his experience in those roles, including HC, should benefit Vrabel. Marrone has been very close with O'Brien for years, so there is likely some crossover with McDaniels.
As for Brown, he's been considered a riser in coaching circles, but the last two stops have not worked out. If you put that on him, you weren't paying attention. The Reich era lasted less than a season with the Panthers (that was a "celebrity" staff put together by owner David Tepper that had very little ties to one another). Then the Bears chose to run it back, with Eberflus knowing full well he was on the hot seat before the season started.