DeMarcus Covington: “Blessing” for Patriots Coach Promotion
DeMarcus Covington, the defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots, is the first coach to be named
FOXBORO: Under first-year head coach DeMarcus Covington, the New England Patriots offense is anticipated to look very different this season, but their defense will follow the dictum, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
One of Mayo’s first actions as the Patriots’ head coach after Bill Belichick left was to promote former defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington to defensive coordinator in 2017. Former Patriots star Matt Patricia was the last player to hold the title.
Getting the job was a dream come true for Covington.
“It’s what I’ve always wanted to do throughout my career,” Covington said on Thursday to Patriots.com. “I would say it’s definitely a blessing to be able to manage a defense and become a defensive coordinator.”
For the past few seasons, Covington has been seen as a rising star in the coaching ranks. After interviewing with the Arizona Cardinals for their 2022 defensive opening, the native of Birmingham, Alabama, further cemented his reputation with a stellar campaign. New England allowed 21.5 yards per game and a defensive yards-average of 301.6 to finish the regular season ranked seventh in the NFL in terms of overall defense. The Patriots’ run defense allowed 93.2 running yards per game, good for fourth place nationally.
Their success in 2023 was largely due to Covington’s steady hand at leading the defensive line, a topic he covered in more detail last week.
“I don’t attempt to be someone else; I always look at what I can do,” Covington stated. “I consider how I can instruct the players, how you can become a teacher in the classroom, and how I can transfer the lesson to the field.”
It was obvious that the 34-year-old positioning coach with the Patriots possessed the talent and credentials to be promoted. started his coaching career as a defensive graduate assistant, winning the same title for two seasons at Ole Miss and one season at his home school, the University of Alabama-Birmingham, in 2012. Covington was UT Martin’s defensive line coach in 2015.
Covington joined the Patriots organization in 2017 after serving as Eastern Illinois’ co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach in 2016. Before taking over as the Pats’ assistant outside linebacker coach in 2019, he spent the first two years of his employment as a coaching assistant. He was transferred to the defensive line coaching position in 2020, and since then, he has gained the respect and confidence of both his teammates and—most importantly—his players.
Covington has an outstanding resume in addition to being the American team’s defensive coordinator at the 2023 Senior Bowl in Mobile. He was also put forward for the NFL Coach Accelerator Program as the Patriots’ representative at the Minneapolis Spring League Meeting in May 2023.
Consequently, Covington will now lead a group that is once again anticipated to be the strength of a club that had a miserable 4-13 record the previous season. New defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery, linebackers coach Dont’a Hightower, inside linebackers coach Drew Wilkins, cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino, and safety coach Brian Belichick will all be joining him on the Mayo defensive staff.
Even so, he will now be the leader of a group that includes exceptional players like safety Jabrill Peppers and defensive tackle Christian Barmore. Linebackers Christian Gonzalez (torn labrum) and Matthew Judon (biceps) should be available for the Pats once they recover from their season-ending injuries.
Luckily for the Pats, it appears like they have the correct man in charge, one day at a time, living his dream.
