DeMarcus Covington enters his first season as defensive coordinator in 2024 and eighth season overall with the Patriots. Covington served as the defensive line coach for four seasons between from 2020-2023. Prior to coaching the defensive line, Covington coached the outside linebackers in 2019 following two seasons as a coaching assistant.
The Patriots defense finished in the top 10 in four of his five seasons as a position coach. Last season, the Patriots defense finished fourth against the run, allowing 93.2 yards per game, the team's best finish since allowing 88.6 yards per game in 2016. The Patriots defense allowed 3.3 yards per rush, the lowest in the NFL in 2023 and the lowest mark for the Patriots since the 1970 merger.
He joined the organization in 2017 after spending the 2016 season as co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach at Eastern Illinois. Prior to his time with the Panthers, Covington coached the defensive line at UT Martin in 2015. From 2013-14, he spent two seasons as a defensive graduate assistant at Ole Miss and in 2012, was a defensive graduate assistant at the University of Alabama-Birmingham.
Covington helped the Patriots defense finish ranked 8th in the NFL in 2022. The defensive unit ranked first in the NFL in rushing touchdowns allowed, having only given up seven all season. The team also recorded 54 total sacks on the season, the fifth most in team history and tied for third most in the league. Under the guidance of Covington, Deatrich Wise Jr. recorded a new career high in sacks in 2022 with 7½, Matthew Judon reached career high sack totals in back-to-back seasons after recording 12½ in 2021 and 15½ in 2022 and Josh Uche recorded new career highs with 11½ sacks for 49.5 yards.
Following the season, Covington was selected to serve as the defensive coordinator for the Senior Bowl's American team.
Under Covington's guidance in 2019, Jamie Collins Sr. set career highs with seven sacks and three interceptions as part of a defense that finished No. 1 in the NFL in total defense (275.9 yards per game) and scoring (14.1 points allowed per game). He was the only player in the NFL with six or more sacks and three or more interceptions in 2019. No other Patriot has reached those marks in the same season. Kyle Van Noy also set a then single-season career high with 6½ sacks and earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors following a Week 4 win at Buffalo when he led the team with eight tackles, two sacks, three quarterback hits and two forced fumbles.
Covington played collegiately at wide receiver for Samford University, where he registered 62 receptions for 586 yards and two touchdowns from 2007-10. He graduated from Samford in 2011.
Off the field, Covington created Next Level in 2012, a non-profit football camp that serves as an outlet to the youth of his home town of Birmingham, Alabama, for a full day of football-related drills and activities. Covington and wife, Natasha, have two sons, Cassius and Cayman.
