The New England Patriots reportedly have a favorite to land the vacant defensive coordinator position, and it’s a name Patriots fans will be familiar with. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported on Tuesday that DeMarcus Covington is the “strong favorite” to land the job.
Covington has spent seven years in the organization. He has been the defensive line coach of the Patriots since 2020. He first served as a coaching assistant for the organization from 2017-2018. He then moved to outside linebackers coach in 2019.
Covington also has collegiate experience, last serving as the co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach for Eastern Illinois in 2016.
As of right now, Covington is the likely candidate to get the defensive coordinator job in New England, as Breer noted:
The first domino to fall could be DeMarcus Covington landing the defensive coordinator job. Covington, as it stands right now, is a strong favorite, and brings seven years of experience working in the building to the table—the past five as a defensive position coach alongside new head coach Jerod Mayo. The Patriots could also seek Denver Broncos defensive backs coach Christian Parker or Pittsburgh Steelers assistant defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander, both of whom interviewed for the coordinator job, to the defensive staff with Covington.
Covington has certainly paid his dues as both an NFL and college coach.
Hiring someone from the staff with familiarity may not be the worst approach, as the defensive side of the football has been a strong point for New England over the past two seasons.
