A wide net has been cast. But in the end, the top contender to become new head coach Jerrod Mayo’s defensive coordinator sat on the sidelines of Gillette Stadium.
The New England Patriots plan to promote defensive backs coach DeMarcus Covington to fill a vacancy, the MMQB’s Albert Breer and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Saturday.The organization has notified external candidates of the internal move, which will be officially announced next week.
Covington, 34, entered the NFL ranks as a coaching assistant with the Patriots in 2017. A Super Bowl LIII ring arrived the following season in that capacity before he shifted to outside linebackers coach in 2019, when Mayo, a member of the franchise’s latest All-Decade team, returned as inside linebackers coach. As of 2020, Covington serves as Foxboro’s defensive line coach.
Last year’s 4-13 campaign saw New England rank 9th in the NFL in defensive DVOA. And his team allowed 3.3 yards per carry to opposing offenses, the lowest average in the league. In the absence of the injured Matthew Judon, who missed the Pro Bowl, defensive tackle Christian Barmore recorded a career-high 8.5 sacks with one year remaining on his rookie contract.
Fellow Alabama product Anfernee Jennings also dominated in a rotation role, leading a veteran unit with 14 tackles for loss.Covington, a wide receiver at Samford University, caught 62 passes for 586 yards and two touchdowns from 2007 to 2010. The Bulldogs’ three-year starter became the defensive line coach at UT Martin after coming out of college as a defensive assistant at UAB and Ole Miss.
He added co-defensive coordinator to his resume while at Eastern Illinois in 2016. Since then it has grown rapidly.Last January, Covington served as the defensive coordinator for Team USA in the Reese’s Senior Bowl. In the 2023 offseason, he interviewed for defensive coordinator positions with the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Chargers.
Since then, he has been one of 40 people selected for the NFL’s Coaching Accelerator. It was his second participation in the program, which is designed to raise awareness and develop relationships among owners, executives and coaches around the league for an opportunity to be considered as a future head coach.
The Patriots have been linked to Michael Hodges of the New Orleans Saints, Christian Parker of the Denver Broncos, Tem Lukavu of the Carolina Panthers and Gerald Alexander of the Las Vegas Raiders, all of whom recently committed this cycle.
However, Covington, whose name was added to the interview list announced a week ago, received an invitation from the coach he had worked with for the past five seasons.New England’s search for an offensive and special teams coordinator continues.
