Report: Patriots expected to promote DL coach Covington to DC

The New England Patriots are expected to promote defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington to defensive coordinator, sources told Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.

Covington has been with the Patriots for the last seven seasons. He was hired as an assistant in 2017 and promoted to outside linebackers coach two years later. He was named the defensive line coach in 2020, a position he's held for the last four seasons.

New head coach Jerod Mayo and Covington have worked closely together since Mayo was hired in 2019. The 37-year-old Mayo was the team's inside linebackers coach from 2019-23 before being named head coach earlier in January.

New England's defense was a bright spot amid a disappointing 2023 campaign. The Patriots finished sixth in yards and 14th in points allowed per game. It was one of the best units in the NFL down the stretch, as they ranked first in EPA/play allowed from Weeks 10-18, according to Ben Baldwin's database.