The New England Patriots’ players and coaches are getting virtually all of the attention during training camp. However, those working behind the scenes are no less busy: the personnel department has to be run and any potential moves in free agency, on the trade market, and in the draft next year prepared.
That department has seen some changes compared to last year, most notably at the top. With Dave Ziegler leaving to take on the Las Vegas Raiders’ general manager position, Matt Groh has been promoted to the director of player personnel job.
With Groh at the helm and a few other moves taking place as well, here is how the department presents itself heading into the 2022 season.
Matt Groh: Director of player personnel. Groh enters his 12th season with the Patriots and his first in his current position. He started out as a scouting assistant and steadily moved up the ladder through the years — to area scout, national scout and eventually college scouting director. After one year filling that role he is now leading the entire personnel department and thus serving as Bill Belichick’s right-hand man.
Steve Cargile: Pro scouting director. Running the pro scouting team, Cargile is in his second year at the job. He first arrived in February 2011 as a scouting assistant and has filled several roles before receiving his latest promotion last offseason.
Camren Williams: College scouting director. A former area scout who was promoted to national scout in 2021, Williams moved up another position earlier this year. He is entering his seventh season with the team as its new college scouting czar.
Eliot Wolf: Director of scouting. The Patriots created a new role for Wolf this year. After working as a scouting consultant in 2020 and 2021, he is now the director of scouting. What his role entails is not quite clear yet but it is a prominent one within the front office.
Brian Smith: Personnel coordinator. After nine seasons as college scouting coordinator and two as the assistant director of college scouting, Smith was promoted to personnel coordinator last year. He originally joined the team back in 2000 and served several roles early on — from assisting the coaching staff, to organizing day-to-day logistics, to doing “special assignment” scouting.
Nancy Meier: Director of scouting administration. The Patriots’ longest-tenured full-time employee, Meier is entering her 48th season with the organization. She has been part of each of the franchise’s 11 Super Bowl appearance and the proud owner of six championship rings.
Sam Fioroni: Pro scout. Fioroni joined the Patriots last offseason and is entering his second campaign as a member of the pro scouting department. His previous stops include Notre Ddame an the Cleveland Browns.
J.T. Hill: Pro scout. Before arriving in New England earlier this year, Hill had a brief stint as director of player personnel at Temple. He also worked at Florida International, Tennessee, the Miami Dolphins and — surprise, surprise — Alabama.
Josh Hinch: Pro scout. Hinch has extensive player personnel experience, working as player personnel director both in the XFL and the AAF. He is entering his second season with the Patriots.
Marshall Oium: Pro scout. After four seasons in Cleveland, Oium joined the Patriots back in 2018. A former quarterback at the University of Chicago, he is entering Year 5 as a pro scout.
Tucker Ingraham: National scout. Ingraham is entering his sixth season with the Patriots. He started out as a scouting assistant and later served as area scout before a promotion to his current position last year.
Tony Kinkela: National scout. Kinkela spent the last 13 years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, including 11 as an area scout. He joined the Patriots earlier this offseason, helping fill an open spot in the national scouting crew.
Alex Brooks: Area scout. Brooks is headed into his fifth season with the Patriots and his second as an area scout. He is responsible for the Southwest territory.
Chris Caminiti: Area scout. Caminiti enters his second season as an area scout. Before joining the Patriots he spent time as a senior coaching assistant for the Los Angeles Chargers and as associate athletic director at UCLA, among other jobs.
Matt Evans: Area scout. Despite his personal LinkedIn account calling him a national scout since May, the Patriots’ media guide has Evans listed as area scout. Regardless of his role, he is entering his ninth NFL season and second with the Patriots.
Taylor Redd: Area scout. Redd arrived in New England as a scouting assistant back in 2018. He was moved to the area scouting team two years later in is therefore entering his third season on the job.
Justin Hickman: College scout. A former defensive end for the Indianapolis Colts, Hickman arrived in New England via the CFL and XFL (where he worked alongside Josh Hinch). He is entering his second season in their college scouting department.
A.J. Howard: College scout. A former member of the Patriots’ practice squad, Howard has recently transitioned to scouting. He is entering his second year with the team.
Joseph Anile: Scouting assistant. Anile spent the last five seasons in Jacksonville. A former scouting assistant and scouting associate, he is now entering his first with the Patriots.
Marquis Dickerson: Scouting assistant. A defensive lineman at Notre Dame, Dickerson is entering his first season with the Patriots. He worked as a personnel intern in Green Bay last year.
Mitch Sterner: Pro and college scouting assistant. Before arriving in New England in 2021, Sterner spent time with the Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts. He is headed into his second year with the Patriots in the same position he held last season.
Richard Miller: Director of research. One of the team’s longest-tenured employees, Miller is entering his 27th season with the Patriots. He is wearing a lot of hats and is responsible for managing the salary cap and player costs, contract research and statistical trends, financial and strategic planning, and assisting the personnel department with draft, free agency and game advance analytics.
As noted above, the Patriots did see some prominent changes since 2021. Among them were promotions for Groh, Williams and Wolf as well as a series of departures: the aforementioned Dave Ziegler left, as did national scout Brandon Yeargan and pro scout Jordon Hein (both to Las Vegas) as well as area scout D.J. Debick (to Houston).
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