Late-addition candidate with no playcalling experience lands job as Glenn prepares to take over defensive calls
The New York Jets went with Brian Duker as their new defensive coordinator, a hire that underscores Aaron Glenn’s preference for familiarity over traditional candidate pools. Duker, 36, was a last-minute addition to the interviewing process his first conversation with the Jets didn’t even happen until Tuesday, done virtually. By then, most of the original eight candidates had already withdrawn. Yet Duker still landed the job, largely because Glenn knows him from their years together in Detroit and values that relationship over play calling experience.
Duker has never called plays. That means Glenn is making a significant strategic shift from 2025, when he took a hands-off approach with Steve Wilks. Now, the head coach will take over defensive play calling himself for the 2026 season. That’s not a minor change. That’s Glenn essentially saying the coordinator role is about scheme development and player development, not game management.
“During our time in Detroit, Brian consistently demonstrated a high-football acumen and an aggressive approach to defense,” Glenn said in a statement. “I’m confident that his energy and knowledge of the game will help elevate our players and push this team forward.” Translation: Glenn trusts Duker as a coach, even if he doesn’t trust him (yet) to call plays in real time.
The Jets interviewed nine candidates total, including longtime coordinator Wink Martindale, who was perceived as the early favorite after getting a second in-person interview on Saturday. Martindale had experience, play calling pedigree, and real credentials. But Glenn went a different direction. He went with the guy he knew from Detroit.
Duker and Glenn spent three seasons together on Dan Campbell’s Lions coaching staff from 2021 to 2023. During that time, Duker worked his way up from defensive assistant to safeties coach to defensive backs coach. He then spent two years with the Miami Dolphins as their passing game coordinator/secondary coach. It’s a solid resume, but it’s not a play calling resume. Glenn clearly values something else about Duker beyond X’s and O’s.
When familiarity trumps experience in a desperate situation
This hire is telling about Glenn’s approach to his first year with the Jets. He went 3-14 and fielded one of the worst defenses in franchise history. He’s come under fire for coaching staff upheaval he’s fired nine coaches in his first year, including Steve Wilks in Week 15 and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand on Tuesday. That’s not a stable foundation. That’s a coach who’s still figuring things out.
By hiring someone he knows and trusting him to execute the scheme while Glenn calls the plays, he’s essentially putting his fingerprints directly on the defense. If it works, Glenn gets credit for the scheme and the player development. If it fails, Glenn owns the play calling failures. That’s a different kind of accountability than having a traditional coordinator manage that responsibility.
Glenn said his preference was to operate as a “CEO-type coach” with coordinators calling plays. But at season’s end, he opened the door to taking over defensive play calling if the right coordinator candidate didn’t emerge. Duker is the right candidate not because he’s the best coordinator available, but because Glenn can work with him comfortably.
“Compatibility is just as important as ability,” Glenn said. That’s honest. But it also suggests Glenn’s first year taught him something: you can have talented coordinators and still have a disaster if there’s friction.
The defensive situation Duker is walking into
Duker inherits an absolute mess. The Jets generated only four turnovers all season an NFL all-time low. They finished 31st in scoring, 25th in yards, 30th in sack rate, and 30th in expected points added. They were a top-four defense in yards from 2022-2024. In 2022, they were top-four in both yards and scoring. Now they’re bottom of the barrel across the board.
The talent exodus has been brutal. Cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams their most accomplished defenders were traded at midseason. Their best remaining pieces are edge rushers Will McDonald IV and Jermaine Johnson, both of whom had disappointing 2025 seasons.
Nine of their top 13 snap leaders are under contract for 2026, which sounds promising until you realize the actual talent level is lacking. The Jets have critical needs at safety, linebacker, cornerback, and defensive line depth. This isn’t a defense that needs a new coordinator to call plays. It needs wholesale talent acquisition and scheme simplification.
Duker and Glenn will need to work together to figure out which defensive pieces are salvageable and which need replacement. The play calling being Glenn’s responsibility actually makes sense in that context at least the head coach can make real-time adjustments when the talent isn’t there.
