The Patriots coaching staff has been hit hard by defections this off-season. It started with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels taking the head job with the Las Vegas Raiders two weeks.

Since then, McDaniels has poached assistant quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree, wide receivers coach Mick Lombardi and offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo.

Hardegree will coach the quarterbacks, Lombardi was named offensive coordinator and Bricillo will coach the offensive line. McDaniels will still call the plays.

The Patriots can replace Lombardi and Bricillo internally. Troy Brown and newly hired Joe Judge could coach the wide receivers. Billy Yates and Tyler Hughes were both in assistants roles this past season. Either one can be elevated to offensive line coach. The Patriots could potentially look outside the organization to replace these coaches but that’s highly unlikely.

Finding a quarterbacks coach is priority number one now for Bill Belichick. No one on the current staff has quarterback experience so he will need to look outside the organization. The Bill O’Brien, Adam Gase rumors will start to heat up again. Of the two, Gase is the most likely hire at this point but even he would be a long shot. Former quarterbacks assistant coach Jerry Schuplinski, who is currently out of a job is also a possibility. Belichick also wouldn’t hesitate to move a coach from another position to quarterbacks.

Add to all this the possible retirement of running backs coach Ivan Fears who is rumored to be retiring after 25 years with the organization.

It has been a tumultuous start to the off-season for the Patriots. It is disappointing that McDaniels would do this to the organization that has given him so much. However, that is life in the NFL. Coaching movement is a fact of life. Especially when you have been as successful as the Patriots have been.

The remaining coaching staff is currently out of the office so Belichick has some time to figure things out.