Two more New England Patriots assistant coaches reportedly are joining Josh McDaniels in Las Vegas.
Wide receivers coach Mick Lombardi and offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo are joining the McDaniels’ Raiders as offensive coordinator and O-line coach, respectively, according to a report Saturday from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
McDaniels, who left the Patriots after nine years as OC to take over as Raiders head coach, already had added New England’s assistant quarterbacks coach, Bo Hardegree, to his Vegas staff.
With longtime running backs coach Ivan Fears reportedly expected to retire this offseason, the Patriots have experienced a significant brain drain on the offensive side of the ball. Their only remaining offensive assistants from the 2021 season are Nick Caley (tight ends/fullbacks), Troy Brown (wide receivers/kick returners), Vinnie Sunseri (running backs), Billy Yates (assistant O-line) and coaching assistant Tyler Hughes.
Former New York Giants head coach Joe Judge also rejoined the Patriots’ staff earlier this week under the general title of “offensive assistant” and is expected to have a prominent role as the team moves on from McDaniels. Lombardi, the son of former Patriots executive Michael Lombardi, also likely would have taken on additional responsibilities had he remained in New England.
Judge was the Patriots’ special teams coordinator for five seasons (2015-19) and also coached New England’s wide receivers in 2019. He and Brown are the top candidates to fill Lombardi’s former role, with Yates an option to replace Bricillo.
It’s unclear exactly how the Patriots plan to replace McDaniels, but quarterback Mac Jones expressed confidence in their ability to do so.
“In terms of moving forward, I mean, it’s not my first rodeo in terms of dealing with a new coordinator,” Jones told NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry on Friday. “At Alabama, I think back to all the different guys I’ve worked with. I have a lot of experience with learning a new — we’re going to keep the same system, but new terminology here and there. But I know Coach (Bill) Belichick’s going to have a plan, and I’m looking forward to working, just getting better as a player, regardless of who’s out there with us.”
With McDaniels, Hardegree and now Lombardi all gone, the Patriots do not have a single coach left on staff who has coached quarterbacks at the NFL level. (Hughes, a New England coaching assistant for the last two seasons, was an offensive coordinator/QBs coach at Snow College from 2005-10 and worked with QBs as a quality control assistant at Ohio State in 2013, according to his Patriots.com bio.)
Expect more additions in the coming weeks and months.
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