Patriots looking into Dolphins’ staff for defensive coordinator under new coach Mike Vrabel

Mike Vrabel, early in his tenure as New England Patriots coach, could be looking to poach from the Miami Dolphins’ coaching staff and forming a reunion at the same time for his defensive coordinator hire.

The Patriots have requested an interview with Dolphins outside linebackers coach Ryan Crow, according to a report from ESPN.

Crow joined the Dolphins’ coaching staff, under coach Mike McDaniel and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, last offseason. He previously spent six seasons under Vrabel, when he led the Tennessee Titans from 2018 to 2023.

Crow held the same outside linebackers coach title for his final three seasons in Tennessee. Before that, he was assistant special teams coach for a season and a defensive assistant for two.

In his first season with Miami, Crow developed the team’s rookie first-round pick Chop Robinson for noticeable growth throughout the 2024 season as the Penn State product had six sacks.

He also got a solid season from veteran Emmanuel Ogbah on a unit that never had Bradley Chubb play while rehabbing his 2023 knee injury, lost Jaelan Phillips for the year four games into the past season and had free agent signing Shauil Barrett retire before training camp.

Vrabel was the first head coaching hire of this year’s cycle. New England fired Jerod Mayo, Bill Belichick’s successor after one season, and was a coaching and personnel consultant for the Cleveland Browns during the 2024 NFL season after the Titans moved on from him.

Weaver is a finalist for the New Orleans Saints’ head coaching vacancy, earning a second interview to take place Wednesday.