Report: Patriots Assistant 'Well-Positioned' For Defensive Coordinator Hire
Over the past several years, the New England Patriots haven't had a true defensive coordinator, but in a new era with Jerod Mayo leading the way, that will change very soon.
New England has requested to interview several candidates for the job, including Denver Broncos defensive backs coach Christian Parker, New Orleans Saints linebackers coach Michael Hodges and Carolina Panthers linebackers coach Tem Lukabu.
Additionally, the Patriots have a number of in-house candidates for the role, but one of them stands above the rest.
According to ESPN's Mike Reiss, defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington is a strong contender to earn a promotion and become the franchise's next defensive coordinator. Not only is Covington the only in-house coach the Patriots have lined up for an interview so far, but the fact that they've requested to interview an old friend of his could bode well for him.
New England Patriots/Eric J. Adler
"Some close to the situation say Covington, who attended Mayo's introduction as coach Wednesday, is well-positioned to elevate to a defensive coordinator role," Reiss wrote. "The interview with Hodges, who was co-defensive coordinator with Covington at Eastern Illinois in 2016, could be a tipoff that it might be headed in that direction."
Covington, 34, first joined the Patriots as a coaching assistant in 2017. He then moved up to become the team's outside linebackers coach in 2019, and then the defensive line coach in 2020.
Over his time in New England, Covington has helped develop some of the Patriots' brightest stars, with Christian Barmore being the best example. Covington was also selected to be a defensive coordinator in the Senior Bowl last year, so he does have some brief experience in such a role.
The Patriots' search for a defensive coordinator is wide open, but with Covington's body of work and familiarity with the organization, it's hard to imagine him not getting a long look for the job.
