Bill O’Brien has officially been named the New England Patriots’ offensive coordinator, but there is more work to be done on the coaching staff.
Offensive line coach is another position that needs to be filled ahead of the 2023 NFL season. Matt Patricia was hired for the role before the 2022 campaign before relinquishing it to assistant Billy Yates.
Perry: Pats excited to get answers, ‘no BS’ leadership style from O’Brien
On Friday, The MMQB’s Albert Breer reported ex-Pats center Ryan Wendell will interview for New England’s offensive line coaching job. Wendell, who played with the team from 2009-15, will meet Bill Belichick and Co. in Las Vegas where Patriots coaches are preparing for the East-West Shrine Bowl.
Wendell has served as the Buffalo Bills’ assistant offensive line coach since 2019. On Friday’s Early Editionour Phil Perry shared his reaction to the Patriots considering Wendell for the job.
“That is significant news. That’s a massive, massive position that needs to be filled on the staff,” Perry said. “I’m wondering though, this could be the sixth different offensive line coach that they’ve had since 2019, Dante Scarnecchia’s last year. That’s a lot of turnover in one place.
“Billy Yates is somebody who’s really well-respected by the Patriots and knows the Scarnecchia system, not the system that they tried to make work last year. Really well-respected guy. I’m sitting here wondering, why don’t they just let Billy Yates coach the system that he knows as opposed to making him run a system that nobody knew last year?”
While acknowledging Yates’ qualifications for the position, Perry notes Wendell also has familiarity with Scarnecchia’s system.
“He does, and he played under Bill O’Brien,” he said. “So those two, you would think, would have a good working relationship. But again, that’s a lot of turnover for those guys on the offensive line.”
The Patriots are also expected to meet with another one of their ex-players, Adrian Klemm, to discuss the offensive line coaching job. Klemm interviewed for the offensive coordinator position before O’Brien’s hiring.