Anthony Campanile a top candidate for Jaguars coordinator spot; Packers to hire DeMarcus Covington

GREEN BAY – The Green Bay Packers will know soon whether they must replace highly regarded run game coordinator and linebackers coach Anthony Campanile, who has emerged as a leading candidate to become Jacksonville‘s defensive coordinator.

Two sources said Campanile’s chances of landing the job have risen considerably since he interviewed with new head coach Liam Coen on Tuesday. He is one of four candidates known to have interviewed for the job, one of whom — Las Vegas assistant Patrick Graham — has dropped out.

The job isn’t Campanile’s yet, and if offered the job, he would have to decide if it’s a good career move.

Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley and Campanile are good friends, and it’s likely Campanile would be a candidate for the Packers’ defensive coordinator position if Hafley were able to land a head coaching job. Hafley interviewed for the New York Jets job this offseason and should be in heavy demand next year if the Packers’ defense plays like it did the second half of the season.

Campanile was a key hire for Packers head coach Matt LaFleur and Hafley last year and played a big role in helping Hafley turn the culture around on defense. The high-energy Campanile was key in developing rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper into a starter and grooming veteran Quay Walker for a vital role in the defense.

Cooper was twice named NFC Defensive Rookie of the Week and NFC Defensive Rookie of the Month in December/January and Walker improved considerably after a slow start playing a new scheme in his third season. Veteran Eric Wilson also thrived in the middle when Walker was sidelined with an ankle injury and Isaiah McDuffie played multiple positions throughout the year.

Campanile will be a hard assistant to replace, especially given the competition among new head coaches trying to fill out their staffs. However, Hafley brought linebackers coach Sean Duggan with him from Boston College, and after spending a year assisting Campanile, he would be a solid replacement.

DeMarcus Covington will coach the defensive line

A move LaFleur is expected to make with his staff is hiring New England Patriots defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington, who would replace fired defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich, a source confirmed. A contract hasn’t been signed and it might be a while before the move is announced, the source said.

Covington served as a coaching assistant (2017-19), outside linebackers (2019) and defensive line coach (2020-’23) under former Patriots coach Bill Belichick and was promoted to defensive coordinator by head coach Jerod Mayo at the start of last season.

ESPN.com was first to report Covington’s impending hiring.

Mayo was fired after just one season and his replacement, Mike Vrabel, did not retain Covington.

The Patriots’ defense was a disappointment last year, allowing 343.4 yards a game, which ranked 22nd in the NFL. Under Belichick the previous year, the defense ranked seventh. The defense dropped from 13th to 22nd in points allowed as well.

The Patriots ranked last in the NFL in sacks per pass attempt and tied for 26th in third-down efficiency.

During Belichick’s years in charge, the Patriots employed multiple fronts and schemes and so it shouldn’t be hard for Covington to adapt to Hafley’s 4-3 zone scheme.

Under Rebrovich, the Packers ranked 10th in sacks per pass attempt, but Hafley had to employ gimmicks to help get pressure on the quarterback. His preference is to rush four so he can deploy seven defenders against the pass.

The Packers’ front four did not provide as many sacks as Hafley hoped. The group accounted for 32½ of the team’s 45 sacks with end Rashan Gary leading the group with 7½. Covington’s charge will be to get more out of the unit’s best pass rushers without sacrificing the solid run defense it provided.

Covington interviewed for the Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator position but lost out to Lou Anarumo.

So far, LaFleur has made only a handful of moves with his staff, most of which have not been announced.

In addition to firing Rebrovich, he extended the contract of special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia and hired Luke Getsy as a senior offensive assistant, sources told the Journal Sentinel on Monday.

One of the sources said that LaFleur was expected to hire offensive assistant Sean Mannion to replace retired quarterbacks coach Tom Clements, but that a deal had not been finalized.

This article originally appeared on Packers News: Anthony Campanile a top candidate for Jaguars job; Packers hire Covington