The New York Jets are making a major change on the defensive side of the ball. Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks has been relieved of his duties, marking the latest shake-up in a season that’s been defined more by frustration than progress on that side of the ball.
After a pair of brutal back-to-back outings-first giving up 34 points in a blowout loss to the Dolphins, then surrendering 48 points and six total touchdowns to Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars-head coach Aaron Glenn decided it was time to pull the plug.
“I thought it was time for a change,” Glenn said, following Sunday’s collapse in Jacksonville.
That change comes in the form of Chris Harris, who steps in as interim defensive coordinator. Harris, previously an assistant on the Jets’ staff, now takes over a unit that’s been under fire all season long. And while the move might seem abrupt, the numbers paint a pretty clear picture of why it happened.
Through this point in the 2025 season, the Jets rank 30th in points allowed, 29th in rushing yards allowed, and 20th in total yards allowed. The lone bright spot? A pass defense that sits 13th in the league-respectable, but not nearly enough to offset the damage being done on the ground and on the scoreboard.
Wilks' departure ends a short and rocky tenure in New York, but it also caps a long and winding journey through the NFL coaching ranks. A veteran of the league, Wilks broke in with the Bears in 2006 as a defensive backs coach. From there, he moved through a number of high-profile roles, including stops with the Chargers, Panthers, Cardinals, Browns, and 49ers.
He worked closely with Ron Rivera in Carolina, rising from defensive backs coach to assistant head coach and eventually to defensive coordinator after Sean McDermott left for Buffalo. That 2017 Panthers defense helped Wilks land the head coaching job in Arizona in 2018, but his stint with the Cardinals lasted just one season.
After a year as the Browns’ defensive coordinator in 2019, Wilks spent time at the college level with Missouri before returning to Carolina in 2022. When the Panthers fired Matt Rhule, Wilks stepped in as interim head coach and helped steady the ship.
The 49ers brought him in to run their defense in 2023, but let him go after just one season. That led to his most recent stop in New York, where he joined Aaron Glenn’s staff ahead of the 2025 campaign.
But this Jets defense never found its identity under Wilks. The front seven struggled to stop the run, the tackling was inconsistent, and the unit lacked the kind of edge and discipline Glenn had hoped to instill. The past two weeks only magnified the issues-especially against a Jaguars team that seemed to move the ball at will.
Now, the focus shifts to Chris Harris and how he plans to stabilize a defense that’s been hemorrhaging points. With just a few weeks left in the season, it’s not about reinventing the wheel-it’s about tightening up the fundamentals, restoring confidence, and giving this team a shot to finish strong.
For Wilks, this marks another tough chapter in a career that’s seen its fair share of highs and lows. For the Jets, it’s a clear signal that the status quo wasn’t good enough-and that the search for a defensive identity is still very much ongoing.