For the first time since 1999, the New England Patriots have a new head coach and a completely revamped coaching staff.
Over the offseason, Bill Belichick and the Patriots mutually agreed to part ways, opening the door for them to hire former New England linebacker Jerod Mayo as their new head coach. Who is Mayo’s defensive coordinator?
Who Is the Patriots’ Defensive Coordinator?
When it came time to find a defensive coordinator, Mayo went with someone he’s very familiar with: DeMarcus Covington. Like Mayo, Covington was an internal hire who was promoted from within the Patriots organization.
Covington joined the Pats in 2017 as a coaching assistant. After two years, he was promoted to outside linebackers coach and then defensive line coach, where he stayed for three years.
Covington was part of Belichick’s staff when the Patriots won Super Bowl LIII, defeating the Los Angeles Rams, 13-3.
Mayo was the Patriots’ outside linebackers coach from 2019 to 2023, so he and Covington worked closely together in recent years.
The Patriots’ defense finished in the top 10 in four of the five seasons that Covington was a position coach. Last year, New England allowed just 3.3 yards per rush — the lowest in the NFL.
Prior to joining the Patriots, Covington coached at the collegiate level with stints at Eastern Illinois (co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach), UT Martin (defensive line coach), Ole Miss (defensive graduate assistant), and UAB (defensive graduate assistant).
Prior to making the transition to coaching, Covington was a wide receiver for the Samford Bulldogs from 2007 to 2010, totaling 62 receptions for 586 yards and two touchdowns.
Who Was the New England’s Last Defensive Coordinator?
This is the first time that the Patriots have had a defensive coordinator since 2017.
Since Belichick is known as a defensive guru, he handled the bulk of DC responsibilities for New England. Meanwhile, his son, Steve Belichick, called the defensive plays.
Two years ago, when asked why the team didn’t have a defensive coordinator, Bill explained that the team is “not really big on titles and all that” and stressed the importance of everyone working together to create a “good final product.”
MORE: List of Current NFL Defensive Coordinators (Updated 2024)
In 2019, the Patriots led the NFL in total defense and scoring defense, holding opponents to just over 14 points a game without a defensive coordinator on the sideline (but with Covington and Mayo on the staff).
Prior to Covington, the last person to hold the defensive coordinator title in New England was Matt Patricia, who was the Patriots’ DC from 2012 to 2017. After the 2017 season, he was hired as the Detroit Lions head coach, and that’s when Belichick decided to abandon the DC position altogether.
