Yesterday, I wrote about the job experience that head coach Jerod Mayo and his offensive coaching staff have. With the new Patriots regime preparing for their first season, the majority of coaches in the building are new to New England. Today, let's continue by taking a look at the experience of the Patriots coaches who will be working with the defense and special teams.
Defensive Coordinator: DeMarcus Covington
A former Division I collegiate wide receiver for Samford, Covington first began coaching in 2012 as a defensive graduate assistant for UAB. For the next two years, Covington worked the same position with Ole Miss. In 2015, Covington took his first job as a positional coach, working with UT Martin as a defensive line coach. Covington's final job in college football was in 2016 as a co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach with Eastern Illinois.
In 2017, Covington took his first NFL coaching job with the Patriots, where he has worked ever since. He began as a coaching assistant in 2017 and 2018 before being hired as the team's outside linebackers coach in 2019. The next season, Covington began coaching the Patriots defensive line, the group he continued coaching until being promoted to defensive coordinator this past offseason.
In 2023, Covington interviewed with the Los Angeles Chargers and Arizona Cardinals for their respective vacant defensive coordinator positions. After both teams decided to go elsewhere with their hires, Covington stayed in New England and eventually was promoted to defensive coordinator following the hire of Jerod Mayo as head coach and the departure of Steve Belichick.
New England Patriots defensive line coach Demarcus Covington during a preseason game between the New England Patriots and the Washington Football Team on August 12, 2021, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Defensive Coaching Assistant: Vinny DePalma
DePalma is a former Boston College linebacker, where he played for six years and led the team in tackles in each of the previous two seasons. His first coaching job will come this year with the Patriots as a coaching assistant.
Defensive Coaching Assistant: Jamael Lett
A former defensive back for Samford - where he was teammates with current Patriots defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington - Lett's first coaching job came in 2013 at Brainerd High School. Afterwards, he spent one more season coaching high school football, this time with Davidson High School as a defensive backs coach, before getting his first college football job.
In 2015, Lett began coaching college football at UT Martin as an assistant coach, working alongside Covington who, at the time, was the team's defensive line coach. Lett only spent one season at UT Martin, however, spending the next year as a graduate assistant coach with Ohio University. Lett then rejoined his alma mater, coaching at Samford from 2017 to 2019 as the team's secondary coach before working the same role in 2020 for Akron.
In 2021, Lett began coaching for the University of South Alabama, located in Mobile, where he grew up as a child. He spent two years working as the special teams coordinator and a defensive assistant, before taking a job with the University of North Carolina Tar Heels as a special teams analyst.
Defensive Coaching Assistant: Keith Jones Jr.
In college, Jones Jr. played as a defensive lineman for UT Martin from 2012-2016, being coached by DeMarcus Covington and Jamael Lett. Additionally, he played in the Indoor Football League for the Iowa Barnstormers, where he won a league championship, and the Tucson Sugar Skulls.
Jones Jr. began coaching at Missouri Southern State University as a defensive tackles coach in 2020. The next season, he was a graduate assistant working closely with the defensive line at Arkansas State. In 2022, Jones Jr. was hired for the same role by Arkansas.
His first NFL coaching job came with the Patriots in 2022, beginning with the team during training camp from the Bill Walsh Diversity Fellowship.
Defensive Line Coach: Jerry Montgomery
Montgomery is a former professional defensive lineman, beginning as a college football player for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Montgomery spent 2002 with the New Orleans Saints in the preseason, then spent time in the Arena Football League with the Chicago Rush (2003), Colorado Crush (2004), and Las Vegas Gladiators (2005).
Montgomery's first coaching job came at his alma mater as a student assistant coach in 2003, then spent 2003 and 2004 as an assistant coach with Iowa City West High School. In 2005, Montgomery returned to college football, working as a defensive coordinator for North Iowa Community College. From 2006 to 2008, Montgomery coached at Northern Iowa. In 2006, he worked as a graduate assistant and defensive tackles coach, then was the team's defensive line coach in 2007 and 2008.
For the next two years, Montgomery was the defensive line coach for Wyoming, then worked for Indiana as a defensive tackle coach early in 2011 before being hired by the Michigan Wolverines, working with them as a defensive line coach in 2011 and 2012. Montgomery's most recent college coaching job came with the Oklahoma Sooners as a defensive line coach from 2013-2014. After these two seasons, he was promoted to be Oklahoma's co-defensive coordinator but left the team to work in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers.
From 2015 until 2023, Montgomery worked for the Green Bay Packers across multiple different roles. Montgomery began as a defensive front assistant before being promoted to the team's defensive line coach in 2018. In 2022, Montgomery remained as the defensive line coach while also adding the title of running game coordinator.
Outside Linebackers Coach: Drew Wilkins
Wilkins began in the NFL as a football video operations intern in 2010, then became a video coordinator in 2012. Beginning coaching in 2014 with the Baltimore Ravens, Wilkins worked as a defensive assistant for the team until 2017. After, he worked for a season as an assistant defensive line coach before adding on the title of outside linebackers coach. In 2020, Wilkins stayed as the Ravens outside linebackers coach but no longer was an assistant defensive line coach. While in Baltimore, Wilkins worked with Patriots star pass rusher Matthew Judon.
In 2022, Wilkins began coaching outside linebackers with the New York Giants, where he worked for two seasons until being hired by the Patriots for the same role.
Inside Linebackers Coach: Dont'a Hightower
Hightower is a former New England Patriots star inside linebacker. In college, Hightower played for the Alabama Crimson Tide before being selected in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft.
Hightower is a two-time Pro Bowler and was a second-team All-Pro selection in 2016. Hightower is a three-time Super Bowl Champion and was selected to the New England Patriots All-2010s Team and All-Dynasty Team. In his first four NFL seasons, Hightower played linebacker alongside current Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo. Hightower's final NFL season was in 2021, and is heading into his first professional coaching job this year with the Patriots.
New England Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower (54) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Stew Milne)
Cornerbacks Coach: Mike Pellegrino
Pellegrino's first coaching job came with the Patriots in 2015 while he was playing professional lacrosse for the Boston Cannons. Pellegrino remained as a coaching assistant with the team through the 2018 season and was promoted to cornerbacks coach in 2019.
A two-time Super Bowl Champion, Pellegrino has been a key part of the Patriots consistently having some of the best cornerback rooms in the NFL. He has worked with star defensive backs such as Stephon Gilmore, J.C. Jackson, and Jonathan Jones, among others.
Safeties Coach: Brian Belichick
Belichick is the son of legendary Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and the brother of former Patriots coach Steve Belichick. Brian Belichick has worked with the Patriots since 2016, where he spent the year in the Patriots front office working as a scouting assistant, his only season where he did so.
In 2017, Belichick worked as a coach for the first time, being a part of the Patriots staff as a coaching assistant up until 2019. Belichick has been the Patriots safeties coach since 2020 and is a two-time Super Bowl Champion.
Special Teams Coordinator: Jeremy Springer
In college, Springer played for the UTEP Miners, beginning as a quarterback before switching positions to middle linebacker. In his final collegiate season, Springer was voted as a team captain.
Springer first worked as an assistant in football operations during his senior season of playing for UTEP in 2011 and remained in that role through 2012. For the following two seasons, Springer worked as a graduate assistant for his alma mater. In 2015, Springer was hired by Texas A&M as a special teams quality control coach and coached there through 2017. In 2018, Springer got his first job as a special teams coordinator, working with Arizona up until 2020. Afterward, Springer spent a year as the special teams coordinator for Marshall.
Springer's first NFL job came in 2022 when he was hired by the Los Angeles Rams. Springer worked with the Rams for the previous two seasons before being hired by the Patriots as their special teams coordinator.
Assistant Special Teams: Tom Quinn
After playing football in college for the University of Arizona, Quinn was hired as the linebackers coach for Davidson in 1991. The next year, Quinn began coaching at James Madison, where he served as their special teams coach through 1994. Quinn then spent 1995 as the defensive coordinator for Boston University before working the same job for Holy Cross through 1998.
In 1999, Quinn began coaching at San Jose State, spending his first year there as a linebackers and special teams coach. However, after his first year, he stopped coaching linebackers and rather became a tight ends coach. Quinn began working at Stanford in 2002, once again coaching tight ends and special teams. In 2004, he remained at Stanford but no longer coached tight ends, working as an outside linebackers coach instead.
Quinn worked his first job in the NFL with the New York Giants, beginning in 2006 as an assistant special teams coach. However, Quinn was quickly promoted to special teams coordinator, being promoted in 2007 with the Giants and remaining in that position through 2017. From 2018 to 2021, Quinn remained with the Giants but worked again as an assistant special teams coach. After not coaching in 2022, Quinn spent 2023 with the Tennessee Titans as a special teams assistant. A two-time Super Bowl Champion, Quinn was hired by the Patriots in 2024.
Special Teams Coaching Assistant: Coby Tippett
Tippett - the son of Patriots legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Andre Tippett - played college football at the University of Rhode Island. Tippett was a rookie mini-camp invite for the Patriots and briefly spent time in the XFL for the Arlington Renegades and Houston Roughnecks.
Tippett began as a coaching assistant with the Patriots in 2023 during training camp but spent the rest of the season as a cornerbacks coach for Tufts University. Tippett also spent time at the University of Rhode Island as a kick returner, and will now be a special teams coaching assistant with the Patriots.
Kick/Punt Returners Coach: Troy Brown
Brown's playing career was nothing short of legendary, as he has been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and the Patriots Hall of Fame. Brown played for the Patriots from 1993-2007 and was selected as a Pro Bowler in 2001. In addition to his selections to the Patriots All-2000s Team, 50th Anniversary Team, and All-Dynasty Team, Brown is also a three-time Super Bowl Champion.
Brown began his coaching career as a running backs and kick returners coach in 2020, but began coaching wide receivers rather than running backs the next season. Brown coached wide receivers and kick returners for the Patriots from 2021 to 2023, and this season will serve as a kick and punt returners coach, in addition to working as a skill development coach.
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