NFL Insider Believes Mike Vrabel Wants This Coach To Join Patriots

Mike Vrabel was able to pry one old friend away from the Giants, but the new Patriots head coach might not have the same luck with another former colleague.

Vrabel currently is in the process of rounding out his staff at One Patriot Place, both coaches and executives.

One of the ex-linebacker’s first orders of business in New England was reuniting with Ryan Cowden, who reportedly will be permitted to break away from his contract in New York to join the Patriots front office.

Shane Bowen, the Giants defensive coordinator, apparently won’t take a similar path. But that reportedly would be Vrabel’s preference for replacing DeMarcus Covington.

“I think if Mike had his choice, it’d be Shane Bowen … but Shane is now with the Giants, and I don’t think they’re gonna be able to get him out of there,” Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer said Tuesday on “Early Edition,” as transcribed by NBC Sports Boston.

So, who could become Patriots defensive coordinator if Bowen remains unavailable? Breer mentioned Dean Pees, a New England defensive coach from 2004 to 2009, as an under-the-radar candidate, while NBCSB’s Phil Perry is keeping his eye on Pat Graham, who worked with the Patriots from 2009 to 2015.

Those suggestions make sense, as owner Robert Kraft has a history of preferring personnel with previous ties to the franchise.