The only remaining on-field coach on the Green Bay Packers defense starting with the 2025 season is defensive line coach/run game coordinator DeMarcus Covington. However, NFL.com reported that the Las Vegas Raiders are interviewing him for their open defensive coordinator position, so it’s possible he didn’t even make the initial staff announcement in 2026.
The Packers have lost defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to the Miami Dolphins, who took away linebackers coach Sean Duggan, defensive backs coach Ryan Downard and quality control coach Wendel Davis. Pass passing coordinator Derrick Ansley also left the Dallas Cowboys earlier this offseason to take a lateral job.
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This isn’t Covington’s first defensive coordinator interview this season, as he’s also interviewed for openings with the Cowboys and Packers. ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reports that every defensive assistant in Green Bay has been interviewed for the team’s defensive coordinator vacancy following Hafley’s departure, making the massive roster move all the more interesting.
Covington previously served as the New England Patriots’ defensive coordinator in 2024. On the surface, he has no relationship with new Raiders head coach Clint Kubiak. They had never overlapped at a stop before.
In addition to Covington, the Raiders plan to interview Las Vegas defensive line coach Rob Leonard, Los Angeles Rams assistant head coach and passing game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant and Seattle Seahawks safeties coach Jeff Howard as defensive coordinators. For those who don’t remember, Pleasant had a cup of coffee in Green Bay as an offensive consultant after being fired as the Detroit Lions’ defensive backs coach in 2022.
Keep an eye on this situation as it develops, as the Packers will be in need of a defensive line coach if Covington leaves. When new Green Bay defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon took over as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, he divided duties at the line of scrimmage between a 3-4 defensive line coach and a 3-4 outside linebackers coach. So far, the Packers have not paired Covington with another set of scrimmage coaches.
