Outside of some experiences in the preseason, New York Jets interim defensive coordinator Chris Harris has never called plays at the NFL level.

The former All-Pro safety for the Chicago Bears has spent his coaching career working with secondaries around the league. Harris previously worked with the Tennessee Titans before joining the Jets as their defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator.

Now, following the firing of Steve Wilks, Harris is in charge of the entire defense for the final three weeks of the season. It was a move that was bittersweet for the former player.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity that AG’s (Aaron Glenn) given me,” Harris said ahead of Thursday’s practice. “Steve (Wilks), I’ve learned a lot from him, what happened isn’t an inditement on him, it’s our entire defensive staff and we just have to do better.”

Harris has his work cut out for him. He’s taking over a defense that has been among the worst in the NFL all year.

His goals for the unit, though, are well within everyone’s grasp.

Harris ascends to Jets’ DC role

There’s little the Jets could do this season to salvage their season. At 3-11, their offense has been among the worst in football, and the defense has been a massive disappointment.

Wilks’ performance at defensive coordinator was a big part of that disappointment. While Harris is appreciative of his time with him, he wants his team to play a different way going forward.

“It’s all about preparing… we want to play with grit, we want to play with toughness, and those are things we want to try and put on display while we are out there,” Harris said.

If there’s one thing the Jets seemingly haven’t played with all season, it’s toughness. New York’s run defense has been among the worst in football all season. In last week’s 48-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, a serious lack of effort was noticeable throughout the unit as well.

Harris’ first goal is to make sure the lack of effort is never shown again.

What are fair expectations?

New York ends the season with games against the New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, and Buffalo Bills. Outside of their upcoming matchup in the bayou, it’s unlikely the Jets will be much of a threat to their AFC East rivals.

That limits what fans and analysts should be expecting from the once-proud defense over the next few weeks.

Harris still has an opportunity to show he’s the right man for the job, though. Whether it’s diversifying the Jets’ play-calls to confuse quarterbacks or getting the team to play with more discipline and fire, the opportunity for Harris is there.

“It’s just all about us, defensively,” Harris said. “Trying to make sure that we’re doing all the right things we need to do to put the players and come out there and have success against the Saints.”

If the defense improves even slightly, there’s an argument to be made that he could have his interim tag removed in the coming months.