Newly named head coach Jerod Mayo has been working quickly over the last week to interview different candidates from around the league for all three coordinator spots but few will question the decision to stay in-house on the defensive side of the ball.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
The Patriots had a lot of issues as a team last season, but the defense was not one of the problems. Despite significant injuries to Matthew Judon and in the secondary, Covington’s veteran group continued to play at a high level and set the tone up front.
Overall, the Patriots defense finished eighth in EPA, ninth in DVOA and 15th in points allowed.
Covington has been a rising star among the coaching ranks, expanding his experience last year by coordinating one of the defenses at the Senior Bowl. This past season, Covington’s defensive line group was among the team’s best and most consistent units, finishing second overall in run defense EPA and third in run defense DVOA.
Christian Barmore broke out in 2023 under Covington, while Anfernee Jennings emerged from an injury fill-in to one of the stoutest edge players in the league. Davon Godchaux, Lawrence Guy and Deatrich Wise all turned in strong seasons in the trenches.
This signifies the first major domino to fall since Mayo’s hiring and the continuity that Covington will provide is a big plus, but now questions remain as to how Covington and Mayo will fill out the rest of the defensive staff.
For the past few seasons, Mayo and Steve Belichick worked together to coordinate and call the defense. Now, Mayo is the head coach and the defensive line coach Covington will be coordinating things, so where does that leave Belichick and his play-calling duties? Covington would seem likely to take over that role himself, while Steve is already an experienced coach who has been with multiple position groups. That offers some flexibility for a new potential role if he were to still return.
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