Two critical additions Aaron Glenn must make to his NY Jets staff

I recently tasked myself with highlighting assistant coaches on the New York Jets’ staff that Aaron Glenn must replace.

Here are two coaches Glenn should target to fill those holes.

Zach Orr, Linebackers coach

Orr, 33, spent the last two seasons in Baltimore serving as their defensive coordinator under John Harbaugh. However, following Harbaugh’s firing, Orr is expected to be on the open market this offseason.

Prior to his promotion into Baltimore’s DC role, Orr served as their inside linebackers coach for two years (2022-23).

Orr played for the Ravens from 2014-16, but was forced to medically retire due to a serious spinal condition, putting him at severe risk of paralysis or death from a single significant hit. Just one season after retiring, he jumped into the coaching space and became a DC seven years later.

Overall, Orr’s stint as the Ravens’ defensive coordinator was mediocre and did not come close to filling the void left by Mike Macdonald, who went on to become the Seahawks’ head coach.

While the Jets have a vacancy at defensive coordinator, Orr would be much better suited as New York’s linebackers coach than as the defensive coordinator.

The Jets’ linebacker room regressed drastically this season under linebackers coach Aaron Curry. Orr, given his play-calling experience and track record developing linebackers such as Patrick Queen, seems like a perfect fit for the role.

Mike Bercovici, Quarterbacks coach

As we have discussed, the Jets must make changes on their offensive coaching staff this offseason, particularly bringing in a more proven quarterbacks coach than Charles London, as the team is expected to take a QB high in April’s NFL draft.

I floated former Texans OC Bobby Slowik as a name the Jets could look to bring in this offseason, thanks to his experience working with young quarterbacks and calling plays.

However, another enticing option for the Jets’ quarterbacks coach role is Mike Bercovici.

After going undrafted as a quarterback in 2016 out of Arizona State, Bercovici spent a couple of years bouncing around the NFL before entering the coaching space in 2019, going back to his alma mater to serve as a graduate assistant.

Following one year at Arizona State, he spent three seasons with the Arizona Cardinals as a coaching and offensive assistant. Ahead of the 2023 season, Frank Reich poached him to serve in a familiar role with the Carolina Panthers. While Reich was fired in-season after a 1-10 and much of his staff went one-and-done, Bercovici was retained by Dave Canales.

In 2025, Bercovici was promoted to serve as the Panthers’ assistant quarterbacks coach and pass-game specialist, and he thrived in that role.

This season, the Panthers won the NFC South and put up a fight against the Los Angeles Rams during the wild-card round of the playoffs, falling 34-31. Most importantly, though, quarterback Bryce Young had a career year. He set career-highs in completion percentage (63.6%), passing yards (3,011), passing touchdowns (23), and passer rating (87.8).

At just 32 years old, Bercovici is an up-and-coming coach who has the potential to be a home-run hire. Pairing the former Sun Devil with a more experienced offensive mind like Slowik to complement offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand would be a sound strategy for head coach Aaron Glenn.