Keith Carter is the New York Jets’ new offensive line coach and run game coordinator
The New York Jets hired Nathaniel Hackett as their new offensive coordinator on Thursday. Additionally, New York hired Keith Carter as its new offensive line coach and run game coordinator.
In three of the last four seasons with Carter as OL coach in Tennessee, the Titans produced a top-five rushing attack.
— New York Jets (@nyjets) January 26, 2023
The 40-year-old Carter replaces New York’s previous offensive line coach, John Benton, who coached the unit over the past two years.
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Carter worked as the Tennessee Titans’ offensive line coach over the past five seasons (2018 to 2022). Over that span, Carter helped the Titans rank second in rushing yards per game with 139.9. Obviously, those rushing totals can be largely attributed to Derrick Henry, but the Titans’ offensive line also played a part in that success.
Across Carter’s first four seasons, Tennessee’s offensive line achieved an average ranking of 12th in Pro Football Focus’ overall offensive line rankings, never falling below 16th. However, the Titans’ offensive line dropped to 32nd in PFF’s 2022 rankings. In fairness to Carter, the unit suffered a plethora of injuries and simply did not have much talent.
Three-time Pro Bowl tackle Taylor Lewan is one of the key linemen Tennessee lost to injury in 2022, as Lewan played only two games. Interestingly, at the moment Carter was fired after the season, Lewan got the news while he was in the middle of recording his podcast, Bussin’ With The Boys, and he reacted to the news live.
Lewan’s thoughts on Carter are interesting, to say the least.
“Keith and I have had a very up-and-down relationship, and I think it’s ended at a much higher point,” Lewan said. “When Keith first got there, the way he came in and the way he was trying to act towards everybody, like very disrespectful… very authoritative, but in a very like dictatorship-type of way.”
Lewan also said Carter had “impossible standards”.
“Sometimes [as a player] you just want a pat on the back and you never truly get that [with Carter]”, Lewan said.
Lewan did praise Carter’s improvement, saying he “grew every single year”. But Lewan also criticized the harshness of Carter’s practices and the toll they took on players’ bodies.
“I just wish he focused a little bit more on taking care of the older players,” Lewan said. “I think Ben [Jones] got a little more of that towards the end, and then I kind of did this year, but those practices are hard, and they wear on your body, and they wear your tires out really fast. And you can see it towards the end of the season sometimes.”
You can hear Lewan react live to the news of Carter’s firing at the 1:50 mark in the clip below.
Perhaps Carter’s stern coaching style is exactly what the Jets’ offensive line needs after a messy 2022 season.
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Carter has connections to some of the Jets’ top coaches, including head coach Robert Saleh. From 2012 to 2013, Carter was the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive quality control coach. Saleh was Seattle’s defensive quality control coach over that same period.
From 2015 to 2017, Carter worked for the Atlanta Falcons, spending the first two seasons as an assistant offensive line coach and the third as Atlanta’s running backs coach. Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich was the Falcons’ linebackers coach over those three seasons.
Carter also has extensive experience in the college ranks. He was the offensive line coach at San Jose State in 2014 and held the same role at the University of San Diego from 2010 to 2011. Carter joined San Diego as the running backs coach in 2009.
A native of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, Carter played tight end at UCLA. He played nine games as a redshirt freshman, catching five passes for 33 yards, but his playing career came to an end due to a motorcycle accident ahead of his redshirt sophomore reason. Carter soon joined UCLA’s coaching staff as a student assistant in 2005, aged just 23 years old at the time.
Here is a look at Carter’s complete coaching resume:
- 2023: New York Jets (Offensive line coach/run game coordinator)
- 2018-22: Tennessee Titans (Offensive line coach)
- 2017: Atlanta Falcons (Running backs coach)
- 2015-16: Atlanta Falcons (Assistant offensive line coach)
- 2014: San Jose State (Offensive line coach)
- 2012-13: Seattle Seahawks (Offensive quality control coach)
- 2010-11: San Diego (Offensive line coach)
- 2009: San Diego (Tight ends coach)
- 2007-08: University of Redlands (Offensive line coach)
- 2006: Wagner (Tight ends coach)
- 2005: UCLA (Student assistant)
I like his resume. Seems that he has worked with every position on the offense. Minus QB and WR. Lets hope he can mold the Jets OL into something formidable.
Lewan’s comments about harsh coaching style concerns me. Seem the opposite of the Saleh approach. These kids today are so sensitive, they need that pat on the back. But Lewan did say he thought Clark grew over the years. No reason to think that won’t continue under Saleh.