On Friday, the New York Jets announced they had completed their first round of interviews for the team’s vacant defensive coordinator position.
The list includes eight names, featuring some options who would be first-time DCs at the NFL level, along with a handful of retreads.
Here are the eight candidates divided into tiers as we take an in-depth look at their resumes and potential fit with Gang Green…
F tier
Chris Harris
Following Steve Wilks’ in-season dismissal, Chris Harris was named the team’s interim defensive play-caller for the final three games of the season.
Over those three games, New York’s defense surrendered 106 points.
Much like last offseason, when the Jets interviewed Jeff Ulbrich for their head coaching vacancy after he served as the team’s interim, many were quick to assume the Jets’ decision to give Harris an interview was a procedural decision by the organization.
However, according to Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic, the former safety is viewed as a “legitimate candidate” for the full-time role.
Giving Harris the reins to serve as Gang Green’s next DC would be a highly questionable decision by head coach Aaron Glenn, and the optics would look even worse. While it would be unfair to place full blame on Harris for a decimated Jets defense that surrendered more than 100 total points across his three games as interim, it certainly didn’t help his case.
His initial role on the team’s coaching staff was as defensive backs coach and pass-game coordinator, and the Jets’ secondary, along with pass defense, was abysmal in 2025. They finished dead last in pass defense DVOA and failed to record a single interception all season, a feat that landed them in the NFL record books.
Around the league, Harris is viewed as an ascending defensive mind and even interviewed for the Jets’ defensive coordinator opening last offseason.
However, with a deep pool of qualified candidates available, the optics of this hire would be difficult to justify, and it would come across as a lazy choice — whether that descriptor is unjust or not.
Jim O’Neil
There is little evidence to support Jim O’Neil’s stellar candidacy.
While O’Neil and Glenn overlapped in Cleveland, when the former was the Browns’ defensive coordinator, and the latter was an assistant defensive backs coach, the connection alone should not make him a serious candidate for the Jets’ DC role.
O’Neil has had two stints as a DC at the NFL level, but both were highly underwhelming: two seasons with the Browns (2014-2015) and one year with the San Francisco 49ers (2016).
His last notable stint as a coach was with Northwestern from 2021-2022, where he served as the Wildcats’ DC, before Glenn hired him in 2024 as a defensive assistant with the Detroit Lions.
Hiring the 47-year-old would be viewed as a significant risk.
D tier
Mathieu Araujo
Mathieu Araujo joined the Miami Dolphins’ coaching staff as a cornerbacks coach in 2022, fresh off a three-year stint as Yale’s defensive coordinator.
He most notably worked under top defensive coordinator Vic Fangio in 2023, during his lone season with Miami.
The appeal is tough to come by in Araujo’s case. Under his watch in 2024 and 25, the Dolphins allowed the league’s second-highest completion percentage (67.7%), and have struggled to get promising results out of Miami’s secondary.
Talent level aside, the NFL is a results-driven business, and there hasn’t been anything inspiring from Araujo’s NFL coaching career.
After coaching in the Ivy League just a few years ago and struggling to get his units to produce at a high level as a positional coach, it appears that he isn’t ready for a DC job at the professional level just yet.
Wink Martindale
While Wink Martindale is the most experienced option on this list, a tremendous argument can be made that he doesn’t fit what the Jets need in their next DC.
His last three NFL defenses have been highly underwhelming. At the college level, his units at Michigan have been inconsistent and haven’t been able to compete at a high level against ranked competition.
Throughout his final three years (2021-2023) as an NFL defensive coordinator, all three of his units ranked in the league’s bottom 11 per DVOA.
In 2025, in three games against ranked opponents, Martindale’s defense allowed an average of 30.7 points per game. Michigan also surrendered at least 400 total yards to each opponent.
Furthermore, questions about his scheme potentially clashing with Glenn’s are another red flag. Martindale wouldn’t be an exciting hire for the Jets, and New York should not view him as a viable option.
C tier
DeMarcus Covington
After going one-and-done as the New England Patriots’ defensive coordinator in 2024, DeMarcus Covington is trying to earn another chance in that role, and there is certainly interest, as the Jets gave him an interview for their vacant DC job along with the Dallas Cowboys.
During his one-year stint as the Patriots’ DC after a longtime assistant under Bill Belichick, New England’s defense ranked 30th in defensive DVOA; however, it is unfair to place all the blame on Covington, as he was tasked with leading a unit bereft of much talent.
In 2025, he served as the Green Bay Packers’ defensive line coach and run-game coordinator. Under his watch, the Packers ranked 16th in rushing yards allowed per game (116.3) this season.
It is expected that Covington will get another opportunity to be an NFL DC, as he is still quite young at 36.
I view Covington as a middle-of-the-road candidate for the Jets’ DC job, placing him in the C tier.
Ephraim Banda
Ephraim Banda, 44, spent the past three seasons as the Cleveland Browns’ safeties coach, learning under top NFL DC Jim Schwartz, and if Schwartz lands Cleveland’s head coaching job, the 44-year-old is viewed as his potential successor.
Prior to his time in Cleveland, Banda spent two seasons (2021-2022) as Utah State’s defensive coordinator and safeties coach.
He also spent two years (2019-2020) as the Miami Hurricanes’ co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach.
In 2024, the Browns’ defense allowed the fourth-fewest yards per game (283.6), while Cleveland continued its now-45-game streak without allowing a 300-yard passer, the longest active streak in the NFL.
Similar to Covington, Banda is a middle-of-the-pack option. There are worse alternatives, but there are also more inspiring choices.
B tier
Daronte Jones
Daronte Jones, 47, is an experienced NFL defensive assistant who has been Brian Flores’ right-hand man with the Vikings in Minnesota over the past three seasons.
Under Jones’ watch over the past three seasons as Minnesota’s defensive backs coach and pass-game coordinator, the Vikings have ranked among the league’s top 10 in pass defense DVOA, peaking at third in 2025 and leading the league in 2024.
Overall, the Vikings’ secondary was dominant in 2025, leading the league in interceptions (24), passes defended (95), and interception rate (3.8%).
He also spent one season as LSU’s defensive coordinator in 2023, before returning to the Vikings.
Jones has a proven track record of developing young defensive players, and his schematic approach aligns with Glenn’s, making him a solid option to be the Jets’ next DC.
A tier
Jim Leonhard
Jim Leonhard is the Jets fans’ dream option.
It would be a homecoming for the former safety who started 40 games for the Jets from 2009-2011. Ah, the years when the Jets were an exciting team.
In 2016, Wisconsin hired him as the Badgers’ defensive backs coach, and he was promoted to DC just one year later.
He ultimately spent six seasons as their DC, and over that span, the Badgers allowed the fewest points per game among FBS programs (17.9).
Leonhard was also asked to take over as their interim head coach for the final seven games of 2022 after the firing of head coach Paul Chryst, and he delivered, leading the Badgers to a 4-3 record. He got his first coaching role in the NFL in 2024, when he was hired by Sean Payton to serve as the Denver Broncos’ defensive backs coach and pass-game coordinator.
A year before Jim Leonhard joined the staff, Denver’s pass defense sat in the league’s bottom half, finishing 21st in DVOA.
By his first season in 2024, that unit had undergone a dramatic turnaround, surging to third in the NFL. Currently, the Broncos rank fourth in that metric.
After just one year as an NFL coach, Payton promoted him to assistant head coach, further demonstrating his readiness to take the next step and become an NFL defensive coordinator.
While he is the best option for Gang Green, they won’t be the only team interested. Leonhard also interviewed for the Cowboys’ vacancy and is viewed as a top choice for the New York Giants’ DC role.
- A tier: Jim Leonhard
- B tier: Daronte Jones
- C tier: Ephraim Banda, DeMarcus Covington
- D tier: Mathieu Araujo, Wink Martindale
- F tier: Chris Harris, Jim O’Neil
