The Green Bay Packers saw an expected move come to fruition on Monday afternoon as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Miami Dolphins are working on a contract to hire Jeff Hafley as their next head coach.
Matt LaFleur told reporters weeks ago that he expected Hafley to land a head coaching job as one of the top candidates in this year’s cycle, and the hiring of Jon-Eric Sullivan as Miami’s new GM all but confirmed that Hafley would be heading to Miami. All of this isn’t news to Packers fans. But what comes next could be.
It is worth following the status of defensive line coach and running game coordinator Demarcus Covington in the immediate future. Coming over from the New England Patriots after one season as a defensive coordinator, Covington rehabbed his stock under Hafley, and it wouldn’t be a shock if he followed his former boss to Miami to earn another shot as a DC.
Demarcus Covington Could Join Dolphins as Jeff Hafley’s Defensive Coordinator
If this is it for Covington in Green Bay, it’s been a good run. Covington had a giant present fall into his lap when the Packers traded for Micah Parsons just before the start of the regular season, but he had his share of success stories, coaching a defensive line that was among the best in the NFL.
Lukas Van Ness was one of the biggest beneficiaries working under Covington this season. The former first-round pick set career highs in overall grade (75.7) and quarterback pressures (27) according to Pro Football Focus despite battling a football injury.
Kingsley Enagbare is another success story under Covington, who was in the final year of his contract. After collecting three sacks, 25 pressures, and closing the gap on Rashan Gary’s playing time, Spotrac estimates the 26-year-old to earn a contract worth $5.8 million next season and could be a prime candidate to follow Hafley to Miami.
The interior of the defensive line also has its success story. Devontae Wyatt played well before a season-ending injury, and several young prospects, including Collin Oliver, Barryn Sorrell, and Nazir Stackhouse, could have a bigger role for the Packers as soon as next season.
Of course, this bodes well for Covington’s career prospects. Covington cut his teeth on Bill Belichick’s staff, beginning as a coaching assistant in 2017 and earning the title of outside linebackers coach (2019) and defensive line coach (2020-23) before being promoted to DC under head coach Jarod Mayo. Mayo lasted one year, however, leading Covington to Green Bay, and his work has already earned him interviews for the DC position with the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets.
There is a chance the Packers would promote Covington to replace Hafley, but that also may not happen due to Matt LaFleur’s strong connections to Raheem Morris. Should that happen, Covington is likely to move on, and there might not be a better opportunity than the one that could be waiting for him in Miami.