Patriots coach DeMarcus Covington gets another interview, this time with Chargers
BOSTON -- The Patriots appeared to have avoided a potential loss of DeMarcus Covington last week, when the Cardinals hired Nick Rallis as their defensive coordinator after requesting to interview Covington.
Now, though, the Patriots are at risk of losing Covington once again, as Ian Rapoport reported that the Chargers have completed an interview with Covington for their defensive coordinator position.
Rapoport also noted that Covington did indeed interview with the Cardinals. Previously, only the interview request had been reported.
For their vacant defensive coordinator position, the #Chargers have interviewed #Patriots DL coach DeMarcus Covington and University of Houston defensive coordinator Doug Belk, sources say. Covington also interviewed with the #AZCardinals.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 22, 2023
Renaldo Hill was the Chargers' defensive coordinator for the past two seasons, but he left L.A. to become the pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach for the Dolphins. The Chargers ranked 20th in yards allowed and 21st in points allowed last season, losing 31-30 in the playoffs to the Jaguars after holding a 27-0 lead.
Covington started his coaching career in 2012 as a graduate assistant at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, before working two seasons as a graduate assistant at Ole Miss. He was the defensive line coach for one season at the University of Tennessee-Martin, and he spent one year as the co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach at Eastern Illinois.
With the Patriots investing in Jerod Mayo this offseason, the defensive coaching staff was expected to return in full for the 2023 season. That continuity now depends on whether or not Covington lands that DC job in Los Angeles.