The New England Patriots are adding to their defensive coaching staff, hiring former Giants and Titans defensive coordinator Shane Bowen as a defensive analyst.
Bowen previously worked on Patriots’ head coach Mike Vrabel’s staff in Tennessee from 2018 to 2023. He first served as the outside linebackers coach for three years before being promoted to defensive coordinator.
The two’s relationship dates back even further from their time in Tennessee. Bowen first overlapped with Vrabel in 2012 as he was
as a graduate assistant at Ohio State. He then served as a defensive assistant under Vrabel with the Houston Texans before following the coach to Tennessee.
After Vrabel was fired following the 2023 season, Bowen was named the New York Giants defensive coordinator under head coach Brian Daboll. He oversaw a defense that finished 26th, 21st and then 26th in the league in defensive scoring the last three seasons. Bowen was then fired in November of last season.
“Shane’s a close friend,” Vrabel said at the time. “We started in this business together at Ohio State. Shane’s a good football coach. This business is – again, things happen. They make decisions. So, I’ll support Shane the best that I can, and his family, but then also focus on everything that we have here. So, that’s kind of how this thing goes.
The Patriots have remodeled their defensive coaching staff this offseason. Zak Kuhr, who has previously called Bowen a mentor, was promoted to defensive coordinator after serving as the interim last season. Terrell Williams was then moved to assistant head coach.
Elsewhere on the staff, safeties coach Scott Booker, cornerbacks coach Justin Hamilton and defensive line coach Clint McMillan all worked with Bowen in Tennessee.
