Chris Covington

Not to be confused with Christian Covington.

Chris Covington

Covington with the Indiana Hoosiers
No. 59
Position:	Linebacker
Personal information
Born:	(1996-01-03) January 3, 1996 (age 28) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:	245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High school:	Al Raby (Chicago, Illinois)
College:	Indiana
NFL draft:	2018  / Round: 6 / Pick: 193
Career history
Dallas Cowboys (2018–2019) Indianapolis Colts (2020)*
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 8 Total tackles: 3
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR

Chris Covington (born January 3, 1996) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Indianapolis Colts. He played college football at Indiana.

Early years

Covington attended Al Raby High School, where he played as a quarterback and defensive back. As a senior, he posted 1,993 passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns, 657 rushing yards, 13 rushing touchdowns, 6 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions, one forced fumble, while receiving All-city and All-conference honors. ^[1]

He was considered a two-star recruit as an athlete. ^[2]

College career

Covington accepted a football scholarship from Indiana University to be a defensive player. As a freshman, he was tried at linebacker and defensive back. After Tre Roberson and Cam Coffman announced they would be transferring to other schools, Covington was moved to be the backup quarterback behind Nate Sudfeld. He appeared in four of the first five games and was used mostly in the Wildcat formation. In the sixth game against the University of Iowa, he saw extensive action after Sudfeld was injured with a separated left shoulder in the second quarter, registering 3 out of 12 completions for 31 yards, 11 carries for 41 yards, ^[3] but suffered a season-ending torn ACL during the contest. ^[4]

As a sophomore, he was moved to linebacker during spring practice. He appeared in the last 8 contests of the season and tallied 4 tackles (all against Penn State University).

As junior, he played in all 13 games (one start) backing up Marcus Oliver. He posted 29 tackles (19 solo), 2 sacks, one quarterback pressure, 3 tackles for loss, and one forced fumble. He earned his first career start in the eleventh game against the University of Michigan, making 6 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble. ^[5]

As a senior, he started all 12 games at middle linebacker, replacing the recently graduated Oliver. He registered 85 tackles (third on the team), 50 solo tackles (third on the team), 12 tackles for loss (second on the team), 3 sacks, 5 quarterback hurries (second on the team), 5 passes defensed (third on the team), and one fumble recovery. He was named the team's Defensive Player of the Year. He finished his college career with 118 tackles, 70 solo tackles, 5 sacks, and 15 tackles for loss.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Bench press
6 ft 2+1⁄4 in (1.89 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	32+1⁄2 in (0.83 m)	9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m)	4.78 s	1.63 s	2.76 s	4.39 s	7.02 s	33.5 in (0.85 m)	9 ft 8 in (2.95 m)	23 reps
All values from Pro Day except 40-yd dash and bench press

Dallas Cowboys

Covington was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round (193rd overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft. ^[6] As a rookie, he was a backup linebacker and was declared inactive in 11 games. He appeared in five games, playing mostly on special teams and had one tackle.

On August 31, 2019, Covington was waived by the Cowboys and re-signed to the practice squad. ^{[7] [8]} He was promoted to the active roster on September 10, only to be waived four days later and re-signed back to the practice squad. ^[9] He was promoted to the active roster on December 14. ^[10] He appeared in 3 games as a reserve player, making 3 defensive tackles.

Covington was released by the Cowboys on April 30, 2020. ^[11]

Indianapolis Colts

On December 15, 2020, Covington was signed to the Indianapolis Colts' practice squad. ^[12] On December 29, he was released. ^[13]

NFL career statistics

Year	Team	Games		Tackles				Interceptions						Fumbles
		GP	GS	Cmb	Solo	Ast	Sck	PD	Int	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	FF	FR
2018	DAL	5	0	1	1	0	0.0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
2019	DAL	3	0	2	2	0	0.0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
Total		8	0	3	3	0	0.0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0

References

1. "How Chicago's Chris Covington Reached Indiana University From The West Side". Archived from the original on April 29, 2018. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
2. "Chris Covington profile" . Retrieved April 28, 2020.
3. Woods, David (October 13, 2014). "With Nate Sudfeld out, IU turns to Chris Covington". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
4. "The Covington Report: Torn ACL". 247sports.com. October 18, 2014. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
5. "IU's Chris Covington aims to fill big gap left by Marcus Oliver" . Retrieved April 28, 2020.
6. "The Dallas Cowboys select Chris Covington with the 193rd pick in the 2018 NFL draft". BloggingTheBoys.com. April 28, 2018. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
7. Helman, David (August 31, 2019). "Several Young Draft Picks Among Cowboys' Cuts". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
8. Phillips, Rob (September 2, 2019). "Initial Practice Squad Includes New QB, TE, WR". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
9. "Cowboys roster move: Dallas waiving running back Jordan Chunn, calling up Chris Covington". Blogging the Boys. SB Nation. September 10, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
10. "Cowboys roster move: LB Chris Covington promoted to 53-man roster with Sean Lee questionable for Rams". Blogging the Boys. SB Nation. December 14, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
11. "April 30 Updates". DallasCowboys.com. April 30, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
12. "Colts Sign LB Chris Covington To Practice Squad". Colts.com. December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
13. "Colts Release LB Chris Covington From Practice Squad". Colts.com. December 29, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2021.

External links

• Indiana Hoosiers bio