Patriots Country

Patriots DC Taking Bengals Interview

New England Patriots defensive coordinator Demarcus Covington is set to interview with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Evan Massey

Dec 1, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots defensive coordinator Demarcus Covington works from the sideline during the second half against the Indianapolis Colts at Gillette Stadium.
Dec 1, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots defensive coordinator Demarcus Covington works from the sideline during the second half against the Indianapolis Colts at Gillette Stadium. / Eric Canha-Imagn Images
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The New England Patriots are in the middle of searching for a new head coach. After firing Jerod Mayo, there is a lot of uncertainty within the rest of the coaching staff that Mayo had put together.

Demarcus Covington, who was the Patriots' defensive coordinator during the 2024 season, could end up heading elsewhere himself.

According to a report from NFL insider Tom Pelissero, the Cincinnati Bengals are planning to interview Covington for their defensive coordinator position on Wednesday.

At this point in time, there is no telling who New England will hire to be their next head coach. Mike Vrabel seems to be the favorite right now, but the process is just getting started.

Due to the uncertainty of the situation, Covington is far from being guaranteed to return to the Patriots' coaching staff.

Many new coaches come in and clean house to bring in their own staff. Covington is getting ahead of the game by interviewing elsewhere.

During the 2024 NFL season, New England's defense did not play at a high level. There was an issue with a lack of talent on the roster. The Patriots' lack of defensive production cannot be placed solely on Covington's shoulders.

Even though he didn't have a great defensive roster, Covington was able to keep New England as a low middle of the pack defense.

Landing with the Bengals would be a great job for him. Cincinnati has some good defensive pieces, although they too have a lot of work to do when it comes to bringing in improvements.

All of that being said, it will be interesting to see what happens with the rest of the Patriots' coaching staff.

Covington interviewing for another job is likely not the last that New England will hear of a current member of the coaching staff considering options elsewhere.

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Evan Massey
EVAN MASSEY

Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst who covers college football, the NFL and NBA. He has contributed to the On SI network since July 2021. He has also written for ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, NFLAnalysis.net, NBAAnalysis.net and many other publications. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son.

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