The Jets are looking for a new defensive coordinator. Could they be looking for a new offensive play caller as well?
Jets coach Aaron Glenn is considering adding a veteran offensive coach to his staff, and it is possible they could replace offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand as the play caller, according to league sources. Nothing has been decided yet, but Glenn is exploring all options to improve his coaching staff after a disappointing 3-14 season in 2025, his first on the job.
Engstrand remains on the coaching staff and could remain as the play caller.
It would not be a quick process if Glenn wanted to replace Engstrand as the primary play caller. He would have to follow the NFL’s “Rooney Rule” and interview two external minority candidates before making a hire.
We are already deep into January, and the hiring cycle is far along.
Glenn could choose to keep Engstrand as the play caller but add a veteran coach to help him in a senior assistant role. Former Jets coach Robert Saleh had a coach like this when he had Greg Knapp and then Matt Cavanaugh helping former offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur.
SNY reported that one of the veteran coaches the Jets have spoken to is Frank Reich, the former Colts and Panthers head coach. Reich, 64, spent last season as the interim coach at Stanford.
Last season was Engstrand’s first as a play caller in the NFL. He came to the Jets with Glenn from the Lions, where he was Detroit’s passing game coordinator.
The numbers were not pretty for Engstrand’s 2025 offense, but it’s tough to know how much blame to assign him with a terrible quarterback situation. The Jets were No. 29 in both yards and points per game. They were 10th in rushing yards per game and dead last in passing yards per game.
The Jets only scored 30 points twice in the season, and the end of the year when rookie quarterback Brady Cook was playing, was particularly bad, with the Jets scoring 10 points or less in their final three games.
Engstrand had three different starting quarterbacks with Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor and Cook. The Jets were hoping Fields could figure things out with the Jets, but the former first-round pick struggled and was benched in November.
In addition, Engstrand was without the team’s top wide receiver for most of the season. Garrett Wilson injured his knee in October and was limited to seven games.
Glenn’s staff is undergoing a major overhaul after just one season. He fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks in December and is currently interviewing candidates for that job.
Last week, he fired quarterbacks coach Charles London, pass game coordinator Scott Turner, linebackers coach Aaron Curry, defensive line coach Eric Washington, assistant defensive backs coach Dre Bly, defensive assistant Alonso Escalante and defensive assistant Roosevelt Williams.
