The New York Jets are entering the 2026 season with more questions than answers - and after a rough debut year for head coach Aaron Glenn, the latest shakeup on his staff hasn’t exactly inspired confidence. In a move that raised more than a few eyebrows, the Jets promoted Brian Duker to defensive coordinator, despite his limited experience and a forgettable stint with the Miami Dolphins.
Let’s be clear: Duker isn’t walking into an easy situation, and he’s not the most obvious choice for the job. He served as the Dolphins’ defensive passing game coordinator and secondary coach, a unit that struggled mightily in recent seasons.
Now, he’s tasked with helping turn around a Jets defense that was statistically one of the worst in the league last year - finishing 31st in points allowed, 25th in yards allowed, and somehow, incredibly, recording zero interceptions. That last stat feels like it should come with an asterisk, but it’s all too real.
Duker was the ninth candidate to interview for the position, which speaks volumes about how challenging it’s been for Glenn to fill out his staff. And while it’s not uncommon for coaches to lean on familiar faces - Duker and Glenn worked together in Detroit from 2021 to 2023 - this hire doesn’t scream “long-term solution.” In fact, it all but confirms that Glenn will be calling defensive plays himself in 2026, a role he previously said he hoped to avoid.
That’s a tough pill to swallow for a franchise that was supposed to be building toward something more stable. The Jets entered last offseason with defensive stars like Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, but after trading both, the talent gap between them and their AFC East rivals - especially the Dolphins - has narrowed considerably, if not flipped entirely.
Miami hasn’t exactly been a model of consistency either, but there’s at least a sense of forward motion. The Dolphins have been through their share of turbulence, but with a clearer direction and more continuity in the coaching ranks, there's reason to believe they could be on the upswing.
For the Jets, it feels like another year of spinning their wheels. Glenn’s first season didn’t go as planned, and unless this revamped staff finds a way to spark a turnaround, it’s hard to see this group sticking together beyond 2026. The Jets do have a stockpile of draft picks, which could be a lifeline - but history has taught us that draft capital means nothing if you can’t develop or deploy the talent effectively.
There’s still time for Glenn and Duker to prove the doubters wrong. But right now, this feels less like a calculated step forward and more like a franchise scrambling for answers. And in a division that’s getting more competitive by the season, that’s a dangerous place to be.