A former NFL safety who was in the league as recently as 2016, Jordan Kovacs now is in his fifth season as a Bengals and NFL coach. He serves as assistant linebackers coach, a role he stepped into in 2022 after spending the previous three years as defensive quality control coach with a specific focus on linebackers.
In 2022, Kovacs worked with an elite LB duo in third-year pro Logan Wilson and fourth-year pro Germaine Pratt. They each recorded a career high in tackles, as Wilson's 123 stops led Cincinnati and were the most by a Bengals player since Vontaze Burfict (171) in 2013, while Pratt's 99 ranked second on the team. 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 a career-high four INTs, tying for the most by any NFL linebacker. He then had 39 tackles in Cincinnati's postseason run to Super Bowl LVI, and picked off Titans QB Ryan Tannehill in the final minute of the Divisional Playoff at Tennessee to set up a game-winning FG. Pratt, meanwhile, 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 LB group that featured three rookie draft picks and an unrestricted free agent signee. The steady development of the young LBs paralleled the Bengals' improved defense as the season went along, as they helped hold 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). Kovacs worked with DEs Rashan Gary and Chase Winovich, who each earned first-team All-Big Ten honors.
Kovacs 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, live in Cincinnati.
Playing and coaching history: 2009-12—Played safety, University of Michigan. 2013-15—Played safety, Miami Dolphins. 2017—Coaching intern, Michigan. 2018—Graduate assistant coach, Michigan. 2019-present—Assistant coach, Cincinnati Bengals.
