What to Expect From the New Jets Coaching Staff
The New York Jets completely cleaned house this offseason. They were one of three teams to hire both a new head coach and a new general manager going into the 2025 season, and with a new staff comes new schemes, trends, and coaching styles. The new staff for the Jets has a mix of both experienced and young up-and-comers. Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks has been around the league for years, while offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand has never called plays at the NFL level. With all these changes from last year, Jets fans are looking for a clear picture of what to expect. Looking at past trends, it shouldn’t be too difficult to figure out what the offense and defense will look like this coming season.
Aaron Glenn, Head Coach
Glenn comes over from the Detroit Lions, a team with one of the best cultures in the entire NFL. Glenn is an embodiment of this culture. This has been evident from day one when he immediately moved on from Aaron Rodgers because of the distractions he believed he would cause. Players are already buying into the culture, with almost 100% participation in OTAs, and Glenn is beginning to clean up the mess left by the previous regime.
Steve Wilks, Defensive Coordinator
Wilks has been around the league and has been the defensive coordinator for the Panthers, Browns, and the 49ers. He’s also had a couple of head coaching stints, one for the Cardinals in 2018 and an interim job in 2022 for the Panthers. He was fired after a year in Arizona after going 3-13, but showed real resilience after stepping in after Matt Rhule’s firing in Carolina and going 6-6. Wilks was also fired after having the number one defense in the league in San Francisco, with some believing he took the fall as the scapegoat for their Super Bowl loss.
Wilks will have talent to work with in New York and has proven with San Francisco that he can make it work if given the players to do so. Much of Wilks’ defense relies on the linebackers, a position group the Jets have plenty of talent. They just re-signed rising star Jamien Sherwood, and Quincy Williams is expected to continue doing damage going into a contract year in 2025. Many fans and media members are expecting a return to form for the Jets' defense after a lackluster 2024.
Tanner Engstrand, Offensive Coordinator
Engstrand is a more difficult coach to project since he’s never called plays in the NFL. He was the passing game coordinator in Detroit before joining the Jets, so it’s fairly safe to assume that the scheme will look somewhat similar to what Ben Johnson ran in 2024. Johnson liked to get the tight end involved, as well as set up the pass through the run. This has been reflected in the Jets’ 2025 draft picks, using high picks on a mauler in the run game in Armand Membou, as well as a high-floor tight end prospect in Mason Taylor. The newly signed Justin Fields is also a top-five running quarterback in the league, showing that the staff is doubling down on their rushing attack, which is already strong with Breece Hall and Braelon Allen. The offense is built to give teams a heavy dose of tough running, just like the Lions do with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, with the added dimension of a running quarterback.
