Patriots will reportedly interview DeMarcus Covington for defensive coordinator job
Covington has been on New England's coaching staff since 2017.
Patriots defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington, who has been on the staff since 2017, is set to interview for New England’s defensive coordinator opening according to CBS Sports’s Jonathan Jones.
Covington began his Patriots career as a coaching assistant. He spent a year as an outside linebackers coach, before switching to defensive line in 2020.
“DeMarcus has done a great job for us,” former Patriots coach Bill Belichick said in June. “He has a lot of responsibility with the number of players that he coaches. He’s coached multiple positions, linebackers, edge guys, all the defensive linemen, and as you mentioned he’s involved in some of the other NFL programs.”
Jerod Mayo, who was named Patriots head coach earlier this month, coached inside linebackers in 2019 when Covington was outside linebackers coach.
Both Covington and Mayo were named to NFL.com’s “young NFL coaches to watch” list in 2022.
“Coach Covington, he’s taught me a lot,” Mayo said in 2022, according to MassLive. “He’s climbed the ranks so he’s seen it all from drawing cards to running a room. He’s one of those guys that really tries to gain the heart, the mind, and the soul of the players. I think all the guys respect him. He’s also played on the offensive side of the ball so he knows a lot about that as well. Definitely a huge resource for this team.”
Covington has said in the past that he aspires to be a head coach one day.
“Obviously that’s in the horizon for me of what I want to do,” Covington said, according to the Boston Herald. “I got in this profession to, one, try to impact men. That’s what I try to do. So as we go through this, the steps of being a position coach, coordinator to head coach, obviously wanting to lead a team. That is definitely one of my goals.”
Covington has coached the Patriots defensive line for the past four seasons. The Patriots’ run defense held opponents to 3.3 yards per carry, which was the lowest in the league. Defensive tackle Christian Barmore had a breakout season this year, posting 64 tackles, 8.5 sacks, and a forced fumble.
MassLive’s Mark Daniels tweeted that Covington “should be the favorite” for the job. ESPN’s Mike Reiss tweeted that Covington is “as ready as any candidate the team is set to interview.”
The Patriots will also interview Saints linebackers coach Michael Hodges, Broncos defensive backs coach Christian Parker, and Panthers linebackers coach Tem Lukabu for the role according to NFL Media.
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