Robert Saleh’s return to the sideline comes with a familiar label attached to his defense, and Frank Reich didn’t need many words to make the point.
“Aggressive,” Reich said of Saleh’s defense. “Traditionally, he has been on point and has earned the reputation for being one of the better defensive minds, and then he paired with Gus Bradley, the defensive coordinator, who I know well, ultimate respect
for those guys; what they do, how they play, how they coach. You can see it in their players.
They have a unique style and brand of play. It’ll be a good challenge for us.”
Saleh, whose 20-36 record as the New York Jets’ head coach fell well short of expectations, still built a reputation for rolling out strong defensive groups in New York. Now he’s set for a second head-coaching job with the Tennessee Titans, and this time he’ll also be the one calling the defense.
That shift makes Tennessee a little different from the version Jets fans saw when Saleh was in charge. During his time with New York, he handed the play-calling duties to defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. In Tennessee, the setup changes, and his first game in that role will be worth watching.
The Titans also made sure Saleh won’t be learning his own system from scratch. They added five former Jets defenders who played for him in New York, giving him a group already familiar with his style.
On the other side, Reich and Aaron Glenn face a coaching matchup that carries more pressure for New York than Tennessee. Reich’s job, though, starts with one clear priority: getting Geno Smith into a rhythm.
That means keeping Smith protected and building a plan that plays to what he does best. Reich’s approach appears built for that kind of fit, and Smith’s accuracy since 2022 gives the offense a chance to move if everything comes together.
If Reich can get Smith comfortable, the Jets’ offense should have a chance to click.
In Other News...
Jets Fans Turned This Win Into A Robert Saleh Referendum
The Jets opened the season with a convincing 23-10 win over Tennessee, and the game quickly turned into something bigger than a routine Week 1 result. New Yorks defense kept the Titans under 200 yards of total offense, while Geno Smith was efficient throughout, finishing 19 of 24 for 215 yards and helping the Jets control the day in a way that had the home crowd buzzing.
What made the afternoon stand out even more was the reaction from the stands, where Jets fans voiced their support for former coach Aaron Glenn while also keeping the focus on the man now on the other sideline. Robert Saleh, fired by the Jets in October 2024, remains a sore spot for plenty of fans, and this win only sharpened that feeling as the postgame mood turned into something of a referendum on his tenure. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Win Still Left Fans With One Big Worry Before Packers
The Jets opened the season with a 23-10 win over the Titans, and there was enough encouraging early work to make the result feel solid even if it was not especially polished. Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper helped set the tone right away, while the defense and special teams did enough to keep Tennessee from ever making it feel like a real threat.
Still, the win came with a few issues that could linger into the Packers matchup. Injuries to Omar Cooper Jr., Minkah Fitzpatrick and Jarvis Brownlee were all part of the afternoon, and Jason Sanders, elevated from the practice squad, went 3-for-4 on field goals after missing from 54 yards. The Jets got the result they needed, but the health and kicking questions are not the kind of loose ends a team wants hanging around this early. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Already Have One Uncomfortable Question About Aaron Glenns Kicker
The Jets went into Week 1 with Jason Sanders holding the kicking job, even after a shaky preseason and a competition with Blake Grupe that suggested the position was anything but settled. New York had already shown it was willing to keep the door open on alternatives, including a workout with Justin Tucker, which made Sanders margin for error feel slim from the start.
Sanders then missed a critical fourth-and-8 field goal attempt that would have extended the Jets lead, a miss that only sharpened the uncertainty around his standing. For Aaron Glenn and the Jets, the bigger issue now is less about what happened on one kick and more about whether they can afford to keep waiting for the answer at a position that can swing games fast. [Read more 🡒]