The Patriots spent Tuesday interviewing Chicago Bears interim coach Thomas Brown for their vacant post, MassLive confirmed. Brown was first promoted to offensive coordinator when the Bears fired Shane Waldron, and later was named interim head coach after Matt Eberflus was let go.

The new head coach of the New England Patriots, Mike Vrabel, will face a wide array of significant challenges as he tries to restore the once-dominant franchise to contender status in the AFC following back-to-back 4-13 seasons.

Tony Dews was a running backs coach under Vrabel with the Tennessee Titans from 2018-2022, before taking over as the tight ends coach in 2023. He has been with the New York Jets ever since in a similar role, and he could return to the Patriots with Vrabel likely wanting people he has worked with to come aboard.