GREEN BAY – The Packers have hired former New England assistant DeMarcus Covington as their new defensive line coach and run game coordinator, replacing Jason Rebrovich.
Here are five things to know about Covington:
- He worked his way up the ladder relatively quickly with the Patriots.
After five years in the college ranks at four different schools, the 35-year-old Covington broke into the NFL in 2017 in New England.
He started at the bottom under Bill Belichick with the generic title of coaching assistant for two years, then coached the outside linebackers in 2019 and the defensive line for four seasons (2020-23) before becoming the Patriots' defensive coordinator last year, when Jerod Mayo took over as head coach for Belichick. He wasn't retained when New England hired Mike Vrabel as its new head coach to replace Mayo after one season.
Last season, the Patriots ranked 22nd in the league in total yards allowed but were two yards per game from ranking 17th in a close and crowded third quartile. They also ranked 22nd in points allowed.
- Through some ups and downs, he molded effective units up front in New England.
Over his four seasons coaching the Patriots' defensive line (2020-23), Covington's units ranked highly in a couple key metrics, according to Pro Football Reference.
Looking at pressure rate (sacks, hurries and knockdowns per dropback), the Patriots ranked in the top third of the league for three years – fifth in '20, 11th in '21, seventh in '22 – before dropping to 19th in '23. The Packers ranked right in the middle in pressure rate, 16th, this past season.
Against the run, under Covington the Patriots improved from ranking 25th in opponents' yards per carry in '21 to sixth in '22 and then first in the league in '23 at just 3.3 yards per rush. The Packers ranked third in that category last season.
- He has the GOAT's seal of approval.
Covington earned his share of praise, and promotions, from six-time Super Bowl champion coach Belichick while working under him. Here's what Belichick had to say about Covington in November of 2022 (reprinted from Boston.com):
"DeMarcus does a really good job," Belichick told reporters. "He's coached linebackers, coached defensive line, really understands the entire defense. I'm sure he could coach a lot of positions on defense. Young guy that's really smart, works hard. Has worked with, again, a lot of different types of players, even on our defensive line. That difference between our interior guys and our outside guys is quite distinct. Pass rush, pass coverage, interior run play, so forth. … It's a lot of different techniques to coach.
"He's very well versed in the fundamentals and schemes. He does a good job. Really glad we have him."
Two mainstays on New England's defensive line enjoyed their best seasons with Covington as their position coach.
Christian Barmore, a second-round draft pick in 2021, improved from four sacks over his first two seasons to 8½ in 2023 before injuries limited him to just four games last year. Also, Deatrich Wise Jr., a fourth-round pick back in 2017, posted 7½ sacks in 2022 after averaging 3½ sacks per year over his first five seasons in the league.
- He got his coaching start in his hometown.
A native of Birmingham, Ala., Covington began his coaching career as a defensive graduate assistant at the University of Alabama-Birmingham (UAB) in 2012.
From there he spent 2013-14 at Mississippi as a defensive grad assistant, 2015 at Tennessee-Martin as the defensive line coach, and then 2016 at Eastern Illinois as the co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach.
He also got an opportunity to return close to his roots, in Mobile, Ala., as the defensive coordinator for the American team at the Senior Bowl two years ago.
- His coaching career has been all on the defensive side, but he actually played on offense.
As a collegiate player, Covington was a wide receiver in the FCS at Samford University in Homewood, Ala. A three-year starter, he caught 62 passes for 586 yards and two TDs in his college career.
