Packers' secret weapon is ready to make everything look better at key spot that could define their 2025 season

Get-off, fight zone, finish. These are the main principles new Green Bay Packers defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington wants to teach his players. Raw talent is not a problem for the defensive front by any means, as edge rushers and defensive tackles have been spots with significant investment by the Packers over the past few years.

That's ultimately why general manager Brian Gutekunst decided to limit the resources he would put there this offseason. Instead of adding more players, Green Bay went through a different route, firing Jason Rebrovich and hiring Covington.

The Packers had good production and development from their pass rushers between 2019 and 2021, when Mike Smith was the outside linebackers coach. After he left to follow Mike Pettine in Minnesota, the results haven't been nearly as good. A year ago, the Packers had let defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery walk, promoting Rebrovich from pass rush specialist to defensive line coach. The idea was the integration among defensive ends and tackles in a new 4-3 scheme, but the projected development never came.

With Covington, expectations are higher. Despite working with significantly less investment at his positions in New England (he doesn't remember coaching any first-rounders), he was promoted from coaching assistant to outside linebackers coach to defensive line coach to defensive coordinator. While his experience as a coordinator wasn't successful last year, the results as a defensive line coach in the four previous years were much better.

"I think when you think about coaching, coaching is teaching," Covington said on Thursday. "And when you're looking at it like that, if you can teach, and you can get the guys to buy into what you're saying and then understanding and being able to express those things, not only just what you know. Because it's really not about what I know, it's what they know and what I can get them to understand and go out there and perform. So I look at it as just being able to teach."

How they will do it

In Green Bay, the lack of first-round picks along the defensive line is not a problem. The Packers have Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt. There are other pieces worth developing as well, like Brenton Cox and rookies Barryn Sorrell, Collin Oliver, Warren Brinson, and Nazir Stackhouse. To get there, it's a three-step plan individually.

"We talked three things. The start, the fight zone, and the finish. So being effective in all those three phases," Covington explained.

Get-off

Fight zone

Finish

For DeMarcus Covington himself, it's quite a transition. After eight years coaching under Bill Belichick or his defensive tree, the assistant moves to different principles under defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. But that won't change who he is as a coach.

"If you're able to teach effectively, you should be able to go down the line and teach anything and apply principles to it," he added. "Because principles never, they don't change. So, that's how I look at it."

After years and years of investment, it's time to take profits. For the Packers, the plan is that Covington will be the driver to get there.