A former NFL safety who was in the league as recently as 2016, Jordan Kovacs now is in his sixth season as a Bengals and NFL coach. The 2024 season is his first in the role of secondary/safeties coach, after he spent the '22-23 seasons as assistant linebackers coach and '19-21 as defensive quality control coach with a focus on linebackers.
In 2023, Kovacs worked with a dynamic LB duo of Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt, who each set career highs in tackles. Wilson's team-leading 135 stops were the most by a Bengals player since LB Vontaze Burfict (171) in 2013, while Pratt topped the 100-tackle mark (118) for the first time in his career. Wilson also tied his career high for INTs with four, which tied for the Bengals lead and tied for seventh in the NFL.
Wilson and Pratt also paced the Bengals in tackles in 2022, with Wilson recording 123 and Pratt netting 99 — a career high for both players at the time. The pair played a key role in Cincinnati's defense ranking sixth in the NFL in points allowed (20.1 per game) and seventh in rushing yards allowed (106.6).
In 2021, Kovacs helped Wilson and Pratt assert themselves as core members of a Bengals defense that ranked fifth leaguewide in rushing yards allowed (102.5 per game). Wilson led the team with 98 tackles and had four INTs, which tied for the most by any LB. He followed up with a team-high 39 tackles in Cincinnati's postseason run to Super Bowl LVI. Pratt posted 88 tackles in the regular season and had a game-sealing INT late in the Wild Card Playoff win over Las Vegas.
In 2020, Kovacs helped guide a young LB group that featured three rookie draft picks. The talented room helped contribute to the Bengals holding opposing QBs to just a 62.8 completion percentage, sixth best in the NFL.
In 2019, his first season as an NFL coach, Kovacs and the staff keyed a substantial defensive turnaround, as Cincinnati allowed 84.1 fewer yards per game in the second half of the season compared to the first eight games.
Prior to joining the Bengals' staff, Kovacs spent two seasons (2017-18) working at his alma mater, the University of Michigan. In 2018, he served as a defensive graduate assistant with a focus on the defensive line, helping the Wolverines finish second in the nation in total defense (275.2 yards per game). He spent the 2017 season as a coaching intern at Michigan, working with the defense and special teams. The Wolverines led the nation in both passing defense and third-down conversion percentage allowed, and were the only team in the country to hold five opponents under 200 yards of total offense. No other Big Ten school had accomplished that feat in the previous 20 years.
Prior to his coaching career, Kovacs played safety for the Miami Dolphins for parts of three seasons (2013-15), after originally signing with the team as a college free agent in '13. He played in 28 career games for the Dolphins, totaling 10 tackles and a sack. He also spent time briefly on the Philadelphia Eagles' practice squad in 2014, and with the Kansas City Chiefs and L.A. Rams during the 2016 preseason.
Kovacs had a standout collegiate career as a safety at Michigan from 2009-12, after originally joining the program as a walk-on in '08. He was a four-year letter winner and four-year starter for the Wolverines, appearing in 50 total games with 46 starts. Kovacs became just the 15th player in school history to record 300 career tackles, and left the program ranked 12th in that category (331).
As a senior in 2012, Kovacs earned Michigan's Bo Schembechler Most Valuable Player Award, as well as second-team All-Big Ten honors. He was also a finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy, presented annually to the top college football player who began their career as a walk-on. Kovacs was named All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2010 and '11, and was an Academic All-Big Ten selection in '11 and '12.
Kovacs was born June 12, 1990, in Curtice, Ohio, outside of Toledo. He graduated from Michigan in 2012 with a degree in kinesiology. He and his wife, Kat, have a son, Louis.
Playing and coaching history: 2009-12—Played S at Michigan. 2013-15—Played S with Miami Dolphins. 2017—Coaching intern, Michigan. 2018—Graduate assistant coach, Michigan. 2019-present—Assistant coach, Cincinnati Bengals.
