FOXBORO, Mass. — In an offseason of upheaval for the New England Patriots’ coaching staff, the most surprising change came two weeks ago when Greg Schiano abruptly resigned from his post as the team’s new defensive coordinator.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick addressed reporters Wednesday for the first time since Schiano’s departure. He downplayed the situation, saying shuffling of the coaching staff is nothing new for the Patriots.
“I mean, we’re not talking about an unprecedented event here,” Belichick said during his pre-draft news conference at Gillette Stadium. “We’ve dealt with changes before, and we’re going to continue to deal with them.”
Belichick also declined to share his plan for replacing Schiano, saying he’d only answer questions related to the 2019 NFL Draft. He did, however, say Patriots assistant coaches have been less involved in draft prep this year than they typically are.
“Probably a little less than normal,” Belichick said. “(They’re) doing it, but less activity with the coaching staff.”
The Patriots were forced to replace five assistants this offseason after linebackers coach/de facto defensive coordinator Brian Flores, wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea, cornerbacks coach Josh Boyer, defensive line coach Brendan Daly and assistant quarterbacks coach Jerry Schuplinski all left for other teams.
As of Wednesday morning, the team had yet to officially announce any new additions to its coaching staff, though Jerod Mayo, Mick Lombardi, Carmen Bricillo and potentially Bob Fraser all are expected to come aboard this season, according to various reports.
Mayo announced last month he’d been hired as the Patriots’ linebackers coach.
