A longtime Bill O’Brien lieutenant reportedly is following the Patriots’ new offensive coordinator to New England.
The Patriots are hiring Will Lawing to an unspecified position on their coaching staff, according to a report Thursday from ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
Lawing, 37, has worked under O’Brien for the last 10 seasons, following him from Penn State (2013) to the Houston Texans (2014-20) and finally to Alabama, where he worked as an offensive analyst from 2021-22. When it was reported that O’Brien would have input on the construction of his offensive staff, Lawing stood out as a likely candidate.
Before connecting with O’Brien as a Penn State graduate assistant, Lawing played wide receiver at North Carolina and then coached four seasons at Division-III Juanita College, including two as offensive coordinator.
Lawing’s exact role with the Patriots has yet to be reported, but his background suggests he could be replacing tight ends coach Nick Caley. Lawing coached the Texans’ tight ends during O’Brien’s final two seasons in Houston after stints as a defensive quality control coach and an offensive assistant.
Caley did not join the rest of the Patriots’ coaching staff in Las Vegas for the East-West Shrine Bowl and reportedly has interviewed for offensive coordinator jobs with the New York Jets and Houston Texans. He also interviewed for the Patriots’ OC vacancy before O’Brien was hired.
The Patriots have yet to officially announce any changes to their coaching staff outside of O’Brien’s return. He’ll serve as the team’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the upcoming season.
