Rising Patriots Assistant To Attend NFL Coach Accelerator Program

Next week, 40 potential future NFL head-coaching candidates will gather in Minneapolis. Among them: New England Patriots defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington.

Covington was selected to attend the league’s Coach Accelerator program for the second consecutive year. The seminar, which “aims to increase exposure between owners, executives, and diverse coaching talent, providing ample opportunity to develop and build upon their relationships,” runs from May 21-23.

Assistants could be nominated by their own team or another club. The 40 attendees were chosen “based on their high potential to be considered for a head coach position in the future.”

Covington, who’s entering his seventh season on Bill Belichick’s staff, has seen his profile grow over the past year. The 34-year-old appeared on NFL Media’s annual head-coaching watch list last November and interviewed for defensive coordinator jobs with the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Chargers this offseason. He also served as DC of the American Team at the 2023 Senior Bowl, coaching a group of draft prospects that included Patriots third-rounder Marte Mapu.

“He’s right there,” Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said in February. “He’ll be a defensive coordinator next year.”

Covington recently said he hopes to become a coordinator “in the near future.” He’s garnered rave reviews from members of his position group, with D-tackle Davon Godchaux telling NESN.com last season that Covington will be a “great head coach one day.”

The Coach Accelerator seemingly will prevent Covington from attending the opening days of Patriots organized team activities, which begin next Monday.