Outside of Bill O'Brien, there aren't any Patriots assistants on offense who look like future head coaches. But the defensive side of the ball is a different story.
Jerod Mayo is an obvious candidate, as he's already taken head coaching interviews and been tabbed as Bill Belichick's possible successor. But DeMarcus Covington also is someone to keep an eye on.
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New England's defensive line coach since 2020, Covington took multiple defensive coordinator interviews last offseason and regularly is named a potential future head coach. On Tuesday, Covington reiterated his desire to one day lead a franchise.
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"Obviously, that's in the horizon for me of what I want to do," the 34-year-old said during a video call. "I get in this profession to, again, try to impact men. That's what we try to do. So, as we go through this, the steps of being a position coach, coordinator to head coach -- obviously want to lead a team. That is definitely one of my goals.
"When that might be? I don't know. ... I don't have my own plans. ... God has the plans for me. So, what those plans are, I don't know."
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Whether Covington would be a good defensive coordinator, let alone head coach, remains to be seen. But there's no doubt he can coach defensive linemen, as evidenced by the Patriots currently owning one of the best run defenses in football.
There's a lot of momentum behind Covington. Don't be surprised if it carries him to a major promotion as soon as this offseason.
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Featured image via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
