Insider Reveals Three OC Candidates for Patriots

The search continues to press on for the New England Patriots and their mission to find the next offensive coordinator for the Mike Vrabel regime.

And while we're still in the early parts of the offseason without a ton of movement on the Patriots coaching staff outside of the addition of Vrabel, a few interesting candidates have emerged with a chance to get a shot at claiming the reigns for New England's offense.

In the latest piece from ESPN insider Mike Reiss, he laid out three potential names who have come to light with a shot to land as the Patriots offensive coordinator: New York Giants tight ends coach Tim Kelly, New York Jets running backs coach Tony Dews, and Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.

"Vrabel has the highest regard for Arthur Smith, his former Titans OC and current Pittsburgh Steelers OC. Smith, a former head coach for the Atlanta Falcons, is a head coaching candidate with the New York Jets and Chicago Bears-- presumably taking him off the board," Reiss wrote. "Former Titans coaches Tim Kelly and Tony Dews are among others who have ties to Vrabel and could be on his radar in some form (Kelly was Titans OC in Vrabel's final season)."

All three names could be added alongside already-interviewed candidates Thomas Brown and Marcus Brady within the pool of options as New England's next offensive coordinator. Former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has also been heavily linked as a lead for the role.

Smith, while the least likely of the bunch with his outside head coaching interest, has ties to Vrabel considering their time together with the Tennessee Titans. During his time with the Titans as their offensive mind, he led them to a top-five finish in the league for rushing yards and touchdowns in 2019 and 2020.

Kelly has been an offensive coordinator in the NFL for four seasons before being the Giants' tight ends coach, spending three years with the Houston Texans from 2019 to 2022 and one with the Titans in 2023.

Dews has less experience than the latter two options and has yet to claim an offensive coordinator role during his NFL coaching career. However, he has some strong chemistry with Vrabel considering he spent six years in Tennessee being a running backs and tight ends coach from 2018 to 2023.

While no interviews have reportedly been scheduled with Smith, Kelly, or Dews, each likely lies on the table as an interesting candidate for New England's offensive leader on the sidelines.

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