While the New England Patriots offense is expected to look significantly one of a kind this season below first-year head train DeMarcus Covington, their protection will be operating off the motto: “If it ain’t broke, don’t restore it.”
With former Patriots mainstay Matt Patricia being the last to preserve the title in 2017, Mayo promoted former protecting line coach DeMarcus Covington to defensive coordinator as one of his first orders of enterprise in the post-Bill Belichick era.
For Covington, earning the function was a dream come true.
“It’s something I usually wanted to do in this career,” Covington advised Patriots.com on Thursday. “To become a protective coordinator and be able to lead a defense, I would say it’s surely a blessing.”
Covington has been regarded a rising big name in the teaching ranks for the past few seasons. Having formerly interviewed with the Arizona Cardinals for their defensive vacancy in 2022, the Birmingham, Ala. native solely more desirable his reputation with a strong overall performance closing season. New England finished the regular season ranked at No. 7 in average defense in the NFL, permitting a defensive yards-average of 301.6, as nicely as 21.5 yards-per-game. The Pats run protection ranked fourth average with 93.2 rushing yards allowed per game.
Covington’s steady hand at guiding the protective line was once a sizable reason for their success in 2023 — a point he discussed similarly ultimate week“I usually seem to be at what can I do and no longer attempt to be someone else,” Covington said. “I look at how I get the players to play, how you’re able to emerge as a trainer in the classroom and get those gamers to take it from the school room to the grass.”
The 34-year-old Pats positional instruct truely had the pedigree alongside with the prowess to deserve his promotion. started his coaching career as shielding graduate assistant; spending one season at his place of birth University of Alabama-Birmingham in 2012, and two seasons protecting the same title at Ole Miss. In 2015 Covington coached the protecting line at UT Martin.
After spending 2016 as the co-defensive coordinator and protecting line teach at Eastern Illinois, Covington joined the Patriots enterprise in 2017. He began his Pats tenure as a coaching assistant for two years before turning into an assistant outside linebackers coach in 2019. In 2020 he used to be moved to teaching the shielding line, the place he has earned the have confidence and admire of his colleagues, but most importantly, his playersIn addition to his magnificent resume, Covington served as the protecting coordinator for the American squad at some stage in the 2023 Senior Bowl in Mobile. He was once also nominated as the Patriots consultant for the NFL Coach Accelerator Program in May 2023 at the Spring League Meeting in Minneapolis.
Accordingly, Covington will now information a unit as soon as once more expected to be the power of a group which finished a dismal 4-13 ultimate year. He will be joined on Mayo’s team of workers on protection by new protective line train Jerry Montgomery, linebackers train Dont’a Hightower, interior linebackers train Drew Wilkins, cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino and safeties coach Brian Belichick.
Still, his voice will now be the alpha in a room led by standout gamers such as defensive handle Christian Barmore and security Jabrill Peppers. The Pats should revel in the fully-healthy offerings of linebacker Matthew Judon (biceps) and Christian Gonzalez (torn labrum) — every anticipated to return from season-ending injuries.
Fortunately for the Pats, they apparently have the proper man at the wheel — residing his dream one day at a time
