Judging NFL coaches is a difficult task. It can be challenging to isolate the coach’s effect on the team’s performance.
We can never gauge a coach’s impact with perfect accuracy, but we can do our best to evaluate him in areas he has control over. This means we have to separate him from factors that are determined by the players’ talent and execution.
On that note, let’s grade first-year New York Jets offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand in a few areas through his first six games on the job.
Play designs
When it comes to designing effective concepts, Engstrand has actually done a decent job in some respects. Player execution has hung him out to dry in this regard, whether it’s costly fumbles or open receivers being missed due to a combination of poor quarterback play and bad pass protection.
In the pass game, Engstrand’s concepts have generally been effective. Receivers have been open fairly often this year. They just aren’t getting hit because of ineptitude from Justin Fields or weak blocking preventing Fields from having a chance. Engstrand can’t control Fields’ slow processing or the offensive line’s poor one-on-one blocking.
All of the clips below are from the Jets’ loss to Denver. Engstrand schemed people open, but Fields (and, at times, the OL) let him down.
Engstrand’s pass concepts are working fairly well in regards to getting people open. The Jets just need better execution from their quarterback and offensive line.
However, Engstrand’s imagination in the run game leaves a lot to be desired.
The Jets are fifth-best in yards per rush attempt (5.0), but that is thanks to Fields’ scrambles. New York’s designed rushes are not working as well as they need to for a run-first team. Engstrand’s offense ranks 23rd in EPA per designed rush attempt.
Engstrand opened the year with a new-age game plan built around Fields’ legs, but the Jets have largely gone away from that. After Fields had 10 designed rush attempts in Week 1, he’s averaged 3.0 per game over his last four starts.
The run game has lacked creativity and variety since Week 1. This past week against Denver, it looked like an ordinary zone run scheme with few creative methods of stretching the defense out or fooling them with misdirection. It’s caused the Jets’ rushing attack to become stagnant for the majority of most games, save for Fields’ occasional magic as a scrambler.
I will give Engstrand a B for his play designs. I really like what he’s doing in the pass game; receivers are open pretty often, and that’s Engstrand’s primary job when it comes to designing plays. It’s even more impressive considering the lack of depth at wide receiver.
In the run game, though, Engstrand must find creative ways to mix things up and keep opponents on their toes, especially as they clamp down on an offense that is completely unintimidating through the air.
Unpredictability
Engstrand needs major improvement in this area.
This past Sunday against the Broncos, Engstrand fell into some very predictable habits. Most notably, he heavily favored running the ball after positive first down plays. On second downs with less than eight yards to go, Engstrand ran the ball 8-of-11 times (73%), and those plays generated just 2.8 yards per attempt.
Engstrand also debuted a new 13 personnel package with offensive tackle Max Mitchell on the field as a tight end. While he gets some props for trying something new, it’s not the type of spark New York needed. Engstrand called a run on all five of Mitchell’s snaps on the field, and the Jets averaged 2.2 yards per attempt.
The Jets need to find ways to get defenses guessing. Putting an extra tackle on the field will not help at all if teams know a run is coming.
This has been an issue for the Jets all year. While everybody and their grandmother knew that New York would be a run-heavy team, the Jets have been too predictable in their run-heaviness. Engstrand needs to do a better job of mixing things up to give his run game more space to operate.
I’m just some random guy on the internet. If I can pick up on some of Engstrand’s play calling tendencies, you can bet that NFL teams know what’s coming.
Engstrand gets a D in this department.
Situational play calling
Predictability is the main issue for Engstrand right now, but his situational play calling must also improve.
We’ve already discussed it ad nauseam at this point, but the Jets’ handling of their final first-half drive against Denver was abysmal. Engstrand needed to have the offense operating with more urgency to put points on the board. His conservative approach caused the Jets to end up with no points, which cost them a win in the end.
In fairness to Engstrand, the conservative play calling might be a byproduct of Aaron Glenn’s overarching “don’t lose the game” philosophy. Glenn also plays a part in the situational play calling.
When it comes to Engstrand, though, he must take initiative and improve at calling plays that make sense for the situation. We’ll give him a C- in this area.
Player preparation
The Jets have recently displayed a bad habit of botching blocking assignments in the first quarter. The offensive line leaves defenders unaccounted for on plays that are part of the opening script.
With reps like this, it’s no surprise that the Jets are still searching for their first first-half touchdown since Week 1.
Engstrand has shown that he can design some solid plays, but it won’t mean anything if the players don’t know what they should be doing. The Jets have to come out looking more prepared.
In fairness to Engstrand, he’s cooked up some solid opening scripts, which sometimes failed because of poor execution. He had a great opening drive in Miami that would have scored a touchdown if not for Braelon Allen’s fumble. In Week 5, the Jets opened the game with a drive to Dallas’ one-yard line until the unit stalled.
In Week 2, Engstrand had Garrett Wilson open for a big gain that would’ve put the Jets in field goal range, but Fields whiffed on it.
I will give Engstrand some points back for the occasional signs of life on opening drives. But if your team has gone five straight games without a first-half touchdown, and we can point to botched assignments as a reason why, it reflects back on the coordinator for overseeing poor preparation. He gets a D.
Player deployment
Engstrand has mostly done a good job of using his players to the best of their ability. It hasn’t been a massive challenge since the Jets don’t have much talent, but it is hard to find many gripes with how he has used the chess pieces at his disposal.
At tight end, the Jets have not wasted time making second-round rookie Mason Taylor the leader of the unit and a focal point of the passing game. Making an obvious decision at tight end cannot be taken for granted after we saw the previous Jets regime take eons to realize that C.J. Uzomah just wasn’t cutting it.
I like that Engstrand has gotten fullback Andrew Beck involved, using him for 5.5 snaps per game this season. Beck is a good blocker who can be deployed in different roles, and his hands are quite solid for the position, making him a viable checkdown option.
The running back lineup has become fairly straightforward since Braelon Allen’s injury. I would like to see Engstrand get Isaiah Davis more involved, though. Davis only has six touches since Allen’s injury despite being the RB2; Engstrand has leaned even heavier on Breece Hall.
At wide receiver, Engstrand deserves credit for seeing the ceiling in fourth-round rookie Arian Smith and quickly getting him involved. After playing six snaps in Week 1, Smith has become a mainstay, averaging a 57% snap percentage over the last five games. The film shows Smith creating opportunities for big plays; it’s up to the quarterback to give him chances.
Engstrand has moved Garrett Wilson all over the formation, finding different ways to get him open. Wilson is running a career-high 40% of his routes out of the slot, which has helped him draw more one-on-one matchups. It’s resulted in a strong start for Wilson statistically, and even so, his numbers would be substantially better with competent quarterback play.
For the most part, Engstrand is doing a nice job at deploying his available pieces in an optimal fashion. I will give him an A in this department.
Report card
- Play designs: B
- Unpredictability: D
- Situational play calling: C-
- Player preparation: D
- Player deployment: A
- Overall: C
Engstrand isn’t at the top of the Jets’ list of problems right now, but the team has still suffered from some of the young offensive coordinator’s growing pains.
Going forward, New York needs Engstrand to display more unpredictability, more creativity in his run scheme, and a better feel for situational play calling. He also needs to do a better job of ensuring his players come out prepared in the first quarter.
While there is room for Engstrand to improve, his potential is evident. When it comes to scheming players open, the Jets haven’t seen this level of execution from their OC in quite some time. Engstrand also seems to have a good idea of how to maximize the players on his team.
We still have a lot to learn about Engstrand over the next 11 games. Unfortunately for Engstrand, his job may become even more challenging if Garrett Wilson misses time, but it will provide an opportunity for him to flex his muscles as a coach. If the Jets’ offense can thrive or even just stay afloat without Wilson, it will speak volumes about Engstrand’s value.
The Jets’ inexperienced OC has been a mixed bag. Time will tell if he can develop into a quality offensive leader.
