The Patriots coaching staff was always expected to undergo big changes this offseason. That was seen on Monday as the team lost two offensive coaches on both sides of the ball.
After it was reported that Steve Belichick would head to the University of Washington to be the defensive coordinator, The Athletic reported that Patriots running back coach Vinnie Sunseri would also join the Huskies’ staff.
Sunseri and Belichick both interviewed at Washington at the same time. They’ll join new coach Jedd Fisch’s staff. Both worked on the same Patriots coaching staff with Fisch, when he coached quarterbacks in New England in 2020. Fisch left the Patriots to become the head coach at the University of Arizona and was named Washington’s head coach this year.
Sunseri, 32, had a short NFL playing career that included a stop in New England on the Patriots practice squad in 2016. He began coaching in 2019 as a graduate assistant at Alabama. The next year, he joined Bill Belichick’s staff in Foxborough as a defensive assistant. The next season, Sunseri was moved to the offensive side of the ball where he worked with Patriots running backs alongside veteran position coach Ivan Fears.
Fears retired after that 2021 season and Sunseri replaced the legendary running backs coach. In 2022, Sunseri oversaw a running back group led by Rhamondre Stevenson. The second-year back led the Patriots with 1,040 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Stevenson also added 69 receptions for 421 receiving yards.
The Patriots ground game wasn’t as effective last season as the team struggled up front with their offensive line. Stevenson played in 12 games, rushing for 619 yards with four touchdowns. He finished the season on the injured reserve due to an ankle injury. Ezekiel Elliott led the Patriots in rushing with 642 yards to go with three touchdowns. He also led the Patriots in receptions (51) to go with 313 receiving yards.
Jerod Mayo has been overhauling the Patriots offensive staff. Last week, he hired Alex Van Pelt as the Patriots new offensive coordinator. The team is expected to add former Giants head coach and offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo. The Patriots are also targeting Andy Dickerson to be their new offensive line coach.
With Sunseri heading to Washington, Mayo will also hire a new running backs coach.
