It seems Jerod Mayo has chosen his defensive coordinator.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reports that DeMarcus Covington, the Patriots defensive line coach, is anticipated to be promoted to coordinator. It’s not a major surprise, as the up-and-coming coach had been seen as the frontrunner throughout the process.
“All signs point to the Patriots promoting DL coach DeMarcus Covington to defensive coordinator, per sources,” Breer tweeted. “Should be official early next week, New England has called other candidates to tell them they’re out.”
Covington joined the Patriots in 2017, and he has steadily improved.
Covington began his career as a defensive assistant, worked his way up to outside linebackers coach, and eventually joined the defensive line in 2020.
He has coached one of the NFL’s top run defences for New England, and as recently as the previous season, Mayo acknowledged that he had gained a lot of knowledge from working with Covington.
Mayo also interviewed several young coaches for the defensive coordinator position, including Michael Hodges of the Saints, Tem Lukabu of the Panthers, and Christian Parker of the Broncos.
It’ll be interesting to see if any of them wind up elsewhere on New England’s defensive staff.