NFL Notebook: Bills Add to Staff, Jets Culture Shift, and Vrabel’s Impact in New England
Bills Bolster Defensive Staff with Terrance Jamison Hire
The Buffalo Bills are continuing to reshape their coaching staff under new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, bringing in Terrance Jamison as their new defensive line coach. Jamison, who most recently served as co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach at Illinois, steps into a key role on a defense that’s long prided itself on trench dominance.
Leonhard and Jamison are both known for their attention to detail and player development, so this pairing has the potential to elevate Buffalo’s front even further. The Bills have consistently fielded a disruptive defensive line, and adding a coach with Jamison’s collegiate pedigree could help unlock even more from a group that already includes some high-end talent. Expect a hands-on, technique-driven approach as the Bills look to maintain their physical identity up front.
Jets DT Harrison Phillips on Culture, Losing, and Belief in Aaron Glenn
After a tough three-win season, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn enters Year 2 with plenty of eyes on him. But if you ask veteran defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, the issues in New York go deeper than the sideline.
“I think A.G. inherited a very cancerous, truculent group - whole, top to bottom,” Phillips said in a recent interview. “It’s not individual people’s fault.”
Phillips, who was part of the team for just one season, didn’t sugarcoat the challenges. The losing culture, he said, had seeped into the walls of the building - affecting players’ belief systems, their trust in leadership, and even their optimism about what was possible.
“I almost wanted to waver on some of my thoughts and my beliefs and my optimism,” Phillips admitted. “And so I can’t imagine being there for year after year after year and not seeing the results that you wanted. It tainted people.”
What Phillips described is the kind of organizational wear-and-tear that goes beyond the stat sheet. When players start bracing for coaching changes, fearing roster turnover, and focusing only on self-preservation, it erodes the foundation of any team. Rookie players walk into a locker room and quickly absorb the veteran mindset - for better or worse.
But despite the scars from 2025, Phillips sees a shift happening under Glenn.
“It’s changing,” he said. “We’re getting some great people who understand what winning looks like, understand what sacrifice looks like, understand what championship looks like. And like I said, I believe in it.”
That belief could be the first building block for a franchise trying to turn the page. Glenn has a long road ahead, but if players are starting to buy in - especially ones who’ve seen the other side - that’s a step in the right direction.
Rhamondre Stevenson on Trust, Growth, and Mike Vrabel’s Leadership in New England
In Foxborough, the Patriots are entering a new era under head coach Mike Vrabel, and running back Rhamondre Stevenson is already feeling the difference - especially when it comes to accountability and trust.
Stevenson, who had dealt with ball security issues in the past, said he made a conscious effort to fix the problem. And Vrabel noticed.
“He’s going to treat players like they treat the team,” Stevenson said. “I think I treat the team pretty well.
That’s why he had my back the way he did. I was intentional about fixing the problem.
I come in, work hard every time and try not to make that mistake again. I think he realizes that about me.”
That player-coach trust doesn’t come easy in the NFL, but it’s clear Vrabel is building something that goes beyond X’s and O’s. Just ask wide receivers coach Todd Downing, who worked with Vrabel in Tennessee and leaned on him during one of the toughest stretches of his career.
After a DUI arrest during his final year with the Titans, Downing said Vrabel didn’t turn his back. Instead, he supported him - walking with him before practice every day, checking in on his mental health, and making sure he stayed focused.
“He found ways to help me through that, as opposed to making me feel shame or guilt for it,” Downing said. “And I’ll never forget that.”
That kind of leadership trickles down. Vrabel’s attention to detail - even in the smallest things - sets the tone.
When players started leaving washcloths on the locker room floor, Vrabel didn’t yell or fine anyone. He got creative.
“I told the team, ‘Every washcloth that’s on the floor, I’ve told Stick to just throw in the dryer and put back on the shelf, and then you guys can use them, and you can decide whether they’ve been used and not cleaned and just been dried,’” Vrabel said.
Message received. No more washcloths on the floor.
“I want to make sure they, one, respect everybody here, and make sure they understand their job is just as important as the players,” Vrabel added. “Those are the little things. And the more that you focus on the little things, the less they turn into big things.”
Whether it’s ball security, locker room culture, or simply how you treat the people around you - Vrabel’s Patriots are learning that the small stuff matters. And if they get that right, the big stuff might just follow.