On Thursday, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reported that former Patriots defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington is being hired by the Packers as their new defensive line coach.
If Demovsky’s report is accurate, this makes Covington’s departure from New England official - as all coaches under former head coach Jerod Mayo remained under contract with the organization, with newly hired head coach Mike Vrabel empowered by team chairman and CEO Robert Kraft to have final say on which coaches would be returning.
Before Vrabel was hired, Covington received permission from the Patriots to interview for other jobs, as he reportedly interviewed with the Bengals for their defensive coordinator position.
And when news broke on January 21 that the Patriots would be hiring Lions defensive line coach Terrell Williams as their new defensive coordinator for the 2025 season, it all but sealed Covington’s fate as a former member of the New England coaching staff.
With Demovsky’s report, it appears Covington will be heading to another NFL organization for the first time in his career.
Before assuming the role as defensive coordinator under Mayo for the 2024 season, Covington was seen as a rising star on New England’s defensive staff. Here’s a look at the 35-year-old’s coaching resume:
2012: UAB Graduate Assistant
2013-14: Ole Miss Defensive Graduate Assistant
2015: UT Martin Defensive Line Coach
2016: Eastern Illinois Co-Defensive Coordinator & Defensive Line Coach
2017-18: New England Patriots Coaching Assistant
2019: Patriots Outside Linebackers Coach
2020-23: Patriots Defensive Line Coach
2024: Patriots Defensive Coordinator
2025: Green Bay Packers Defensive Line Coach
The Patriots defense got worse under Covington in his lone season as the head of that unit, finishing the 2024 season ranked 22nd in overall defense, 22nd in scoring defense, 23rd in rushing defense, 25th in red zone defense, and 26th in third down defense.
With Mayo routinely telling the media that he was serving in more of a CEO role - not micromanaging his coaches and coordinators but rather being there for them as a support system and collaborator - you can point to Covington for a poor defensive game plan.
But it’s clear that an underqualified coach who lacked experience empowered another underqualified coach who lacked experience to take on the responsibilities of an entire side of the football.
So, how much can you really blame Covington for his abysmal first showing as a coordinator at the professional level?
With the Samford-grad joining the staff of one of the best defenses in the NFL, he’ll have a chance to rehabilitate his image, and maybe put himself in a position for another crack at being a DC at some point in the future.