Josh McCown.
He was the New York Jets’ starting quarterback the last time they finished top-16 in red zone offense.
Since the Jets fielded the NFL’s 15th-best red zone offense in 2017, they have placed no higher than 19th in seven consecutive seasons. That includes four finishes in the bottom three.
Led by an aging Aaron Rodgers, the 2024 Jets finished 21st with a 54.5% touchdown rate in the red zone. Improving in this area will undoubtedly be a top priority for offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand, who became accustomed to red zone excellence in Detroit.
In each of Engstrand’s three years as the Lions’ passing game coordinator, Detroit finished top-four in red zone offense. Over this span, they scored touchdowns on 136 of their 204 red zone trips (66.7%).
Can Engstrand carry some of this magic to New York?
There are many reasons to believe that he can. Surprising as it may seem, the Jets are equipped with the resources for Engstrand to replicate some of the elements that made Detroit’s red zone offense so difficult to stop.
Here are three of the Jets’ easiest avenues to red zone progress in 2025.
1. Engstrand’s ability to draw up easy completions
While Engstrand was not primarily responsible for Detroit’s offensive success, he deserves some credit. Former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson explained that Engstrand played a significant role in the unit.
“He was an integral part of what we were doing there,” Johnson said of Engstrand. “I leaned heavily into him the last two seasons. We had Johnny Morton, who is now in Detroit as a coordinator, the first year that I was calling it, and Tanner was the tight ends coach. And we ended up moving him to passing game coordinator, effectively taking over for Johnny Mo, and he is completely ready for this next challenge.
“I think where Tanner is really going to excel is [that] he’s been able to really thrive in these game management spots, so he understands the situation in the game. What do we need yardage-wise to get into field position, whether it’s a field goal or an attempt to score a touchdown, so he’s very advanced in that area. Quick thinker, and like I said, huge, huge impact on our process over the past couple of years.”
Thus, it is fair to expect that Engstrand will carry over some of Detroit’s successful red zone concepts to New York.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff was extremely efficient in the red zone under Engstrand. In 2024, Goff threw 24 touchdowns and one interception in the red zone, tying for third in the NFL with a 111.5 passer rating in that part of the field.
This was primarily thanks to Detroit drawing up high-percentage passes for Goff. They schemed easy opportunities for their playmakers to work in space, taking the burden off the quarterback’s shoulders to make complex reads or attack tight windows.
Detroit called plenty of screens and one-read passes for Goff. According to FTN Fantasy, Goff threw to his first read on 50% of his red zone attempts, which ranked ninth-highest. As a result, Goff’s average depth of target was a measly 2.9 yards, third-lowest in the NFL among 41 qualifiers.
Those two factors directly led to Goff’s 67.3% completion percentage in the red zone, fourth-best. The Lions’ goal was to ensure that as many passes would be completed as possible, maximizing chances for their elite playmakers to at least receive a chance to make something happen.
The key to Detroit’s aerial success in the red zone: relying on their weapons instead of Goff’s arm. Of Goff’s second-ranked 432 passing yards in the red zone last season, a whopping 286 of them came after the catch. That’s 66.2% of his red zone passing yards coming via YAC, the fifth-highest rate.
To be clear, making the choice to rely on quick-and-easy passes in the red zone does not guarantee success. The Jets used a similar philosophy with Aaron Rodgers last year. He ranked two spots above Goff with 69% of his red zone passing yards coming via YAC, and he threw to his first read 48.4% of the time.
This is just one way of doing it. There are quarterbacks who thrived in the red zone while relying on their arm, such as Lamar Jackson, who had the fifth-lowest first-read rate (36.7%) and seventh-lowest YAC rate (37.2%) in the red zone, yet led the NFL in red zone passer rating (113.2). You can do it however you want: you just have to execute.
The Lions were pristine at executing their high-percentage, quick-hitting passing concepts in the red zone. We shall see if Engstrand is capable of translating this to New York without the help of Johnson, Goff, and an elite cast of weapons, but he deserves a shot to prove it.
The good news for Engstrand is that he’s got a quarterback who is fully capable of replicating Goff’s red zone efficiency. For all of his faults as an overall player, Fields has thrived in the red zone.
In his career, Fields has a 101.9 passer rating in the red zone. That is identical to Goff’s mark during his time with the Lions, tying each of them for seventh-best among the 34 quarterbacks with at least 100 red zone pass attempts since 2021. Fields has tossed 32 red zone touchdowns to just two interceptions, and he is also tied for third at the position with 15 red zone rushing touchdowns (trailing only Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen).
Engstrand has a quarterback who is plenty efficient enough as a red zone passer to sustain the consistency that became the standard in Detroit. To boot, Fields’ mobility adds elements to the playbook that could not exist with Goff, giving Engstrand the potential to build a red zone scheme that is even more diverse and unpredictable than Detroit’s.
It all comes down to Engstrand’s individual talent and execution as an offensive mind. With creative play designs, the ability to identify and exploit opponent weaknesses, and an innate feel for play-calling within the game flow, Engstrand could scheme the Jets to red zone success using similar philosophies to Detroit.
2. Maximizing the Jets’ YAC weapons
If the Jets are going to thrive in the red zone with a shallow, quick-hitting passing game, they must have multiple players who excel in the YAC department.
New York is loaded with upside in this area. Few players on the roster are proven as YAC weapons, particularly in the red zone, but many have untapped potential waiting to be unlocked. Perhaps Engstrand is the perfect OC to maximize these players.
Garrett Wilson is incredibly talented with the ball in his hands. In his career, Wilson has forced 66 missed tackles after the catch, per Pro Football Focus, second-most to only Deebo Samuel over that span.
The problem is that New York has not done a good job of finding ways to turn Wilson’s elusiveness into impactful production. For all of the missed tackles he’s forced, Wilson is averaging just 4.1 YAC per reception in his career.
Wilson’s YAC production is especially underwhelming on plays that were designed to get him the ball. On 44 career receptions behind the line of scrimmage, Wilson has generated just 196 yards, a paltry 4.5 per reception. He has zero touchdowns on these plays, and only 10 first downs (23% of receptions).
Compare this to Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit’s star receiver.
Overall, St. Brown is a less elusive player than Wilson, forcing 38 missed tackles to Wilson’s 66 over the past three seasons. Yet, St. Brown is substantially more productive on passes behind the line of scrimmage. On an identical total of 44 behind-LOS receptions since 2022, St. Brown has produced 281 yards (6.4 per reception), three touchdowns, and 18 first downs (41%).
The Jets have done a fine job of trying to scheme up plays for Wilson. Volume isn’t the issue; they are just very poor at executing their attempts. When you compare Wilson’s efficiency to St. Brown’s in the same situations, it is obvious that Detroit is better at putting their stars in positions to succeed on screens. They have a better feel for when to call them, better designs, and better blocking.
It is up to Engstrand to take Wilson’s raw talent and find more efficient ways to maximize it. Having played a role in Detroit’s maximization of St. Brown, Engstrand should have the necessary expertise to ensure Wilson’s elusiveness is finally utilized to its full potential.
Wilson is not the only Jets weapon with untapped YAC potential.
Breece Hall is one of the NFL’s best running backs after the catch. Over the past two seasons, he led running backs in missed tackles forced after the catch (48) and YAC (1,142). Granted, this was over a massive volume of opportunities (second among RB with 133 receptions), but he still excels in this area.
Like Wilson, though, the Jets have not turned Hall’s talent into enough production, especially in the red zone and on designed plays. Most of Hall’s receiving excellence occurred on checkdowns where he made something out of nothing. When the Jets draw up plays for him – which isn’t often enough – it usually doesn’t lead to much.
In 2024, Hall produced 98 yards and zero touchdowns on 17 screen receptions. His 5.8 yards per reception placed 13th out of the 17 running backs with at least 15 attempts.
For his career, Hall has only secured four touchdown receptions in the red zone. This is equal to his number of receiving touchdowns outside of the red zone, which ties him with Christian McCaffrey for the most among running backs since 2022. It shows that Hall is a tremendous home run threat as a pass catcher, but also that New York has plenty of room to get more out of him as a drive finisher.
Finally, the Jets have a pair of intriguing dark horses in Malachi Corley and Tyler Johnson.
Corley, a third-round pick last year, was dubbed the “YAC King” in college. He was in the Jets’ doghouse for the entirety of his rookie season. While he has much to prove with a new regime in the building, Engstrand’s scheme is ideal for giving Corley a specified role that maximizes his skill set. Even if he does not develop into a complete player, there should be packages in this scheme that are perfect for Corley, especially in the red zone.
Johnson, 26, is coming off a solid year as a complementary receiver for the Rams, in which his YAC skills were a featured component. He ranked seventh among wide receivers with 117 YAC over expected, per NFL Next Gen Stats.
Between Wilson, Hall, Corley, and Johnson, Engstrand has plenty of YAC potential to tap into. The pieces are in place for Engstrand to replicate Detroit’s successful high-percentage concepts in the red zone. It just comes down to whether Engstrand can match Ben Johnson’s feel for play designs and play calling.
3. Ride Braelon Allen in the red zone
Our first two points focused on the passing game; now, let’s turn our attention to the goal-line run game.
The Jets struggled with short-yardage rushing in 2024, ranking 24th with a 68.2% conversion rate on third or fourth down with ≤1 yard to go.
More specifically as it pertains to the red zone, the Jets were atrocious near the goal line. They scored on just four of 10 rush attempts within three yards of the goal line; their 40% conversion rate placed 28th.
New York could turn this around with a very simple personnel change.
The Jets’ backfield features a 235-pound battering ram by the name of Braelon Allen. Yet, the Jets insisted on hammering Breece Hall – who is more of a speed-based, east-west runner – in goal-line situations. The results were predictable.
Hall scored on just three of his eight carries inside the three-yard line (37.5%). Allen received only two carries in these situations (scoring once).
It was bizarre to see New York give Hall 80% of the goal-line opportunities despite Allen clearly being a better fit for the role.
In fairness, it is not always a given that the bigger running back is better in short-yardage situations. Short-yardage rushing is a skill in itself. Being bigger tends to help, but that is not a guarantee. For instance, the Rams’ Kyren Williams is one of the best downhill, short-yardage runners in the league today, and he is only 5-foot-9 and 202 pounds.
In this case, though, there is clear evidence to back up the hypothesis that Allen is a much better short-yardage performer than Hall.
On third or fourth down with ≤1 yard to go, Hall converted just four of eight carries (50%), tying him for the second-worst rate among running backs with at least eight carries. Allen, meanwhile, converted 11 of 12 (91.7%), the best rate.
Conversion rate on third or fourth down rush attempts with ≤1 yard to go, RBs with 8+ attempts (2024):
- 1. Braelon Allen, NYJ (91.7%) – 11 for 12
- 2. Kyren Williams, LAR (90%) – 18 for 20
- 2. Joe Mixon, CIN (90%) – 9 for 10
- 4. Kareem Hunt, KC (81.3%) – 13 for 16
- 5. Zach Charbonnet, SEA (80%) – 8 for 10
- 6. J.K. Dobbins, LAC (77.8%) – 7 for 9
- 7. Brian Robinson Jr., WAS (76.9%) – 10 for 13
- 8. Derrick Henry, BAL (76.5%) – 13 for 17
- 8. Bijan Robinson, ATL (76.5%) – 13 for 17
- 10. Carson Steele, KC (75%) – 6 for 8
With his elite performance in short-yardage situations, Allen proved that he has the skills to tap into the utmost potential of his massive frame (which is not always the case for backs of his size). Neglecting this ability near the goal line was malpractice by New York’s previous coaching staff.
Engstrand would be remiss to make the same mistake. Hammering Allen at the goal line should be his easiest decision as a first-year offensive coordinator. He can significantly improve the Jets’ goal-line run game just by making better use of the personnel they already had.
This is a tremendous example of how NFL teams can foster surprising improvement from year to year despite the roster seemingly not improving on paper. New York’s goal-line rushing was a back-breaker last year, costing them multiple victories. Yet, they can turn this weakness into a strength without making a single offseason addition to the unit. All it will take is a new coach who can optimize the same chess pieces better than his predecessor did.
