Hallelujah!

It has finally happened: The New York Jets have a defensive coordinator.

Former Detroit Lions defensive assistant and Miami Dolphins secondary coach Brian Duker has been named the Jets’ leader on the defensive side of the ball for the 2026 season. While he has no play-calling experience, a prior relationship with head coach Aaron Glenn made the decision a quick one for New York.

Would the Jets really give the reins of their struggling defense to someone who has never called plays?

Not quite.

The hiring of Duker means more than just the arrival of a new voice in the coaching staff. It signals an incoming shift in the organization’s dynamics.

Glenn prepared to be more hands-on with Jets

Between the heat under his seat and the number of holes on the roster, everything is greater for Glenn in Year 2 with the Jets.

Perhaps that is why Glenn appears open to a change in his role as head coach.

Duker’s lack of play-calling experience leaves the Jets with a likely plan on the defensive side of the ball: Glenn being the play-caller. The 53-year-old acknowledged that potentially being the play-caller was on the table at the end-of-year press conference.

After two weeks of interviews with experienced play-callers like Jim Leonhard and Wink Martindale, Glenn opted to hire someone who could assist him with game planning rather than run the defense.

It reflects the kind of year Glenn is walking into.

With his seat getting warmer, Glenn knows the Jets need to improve their win total in 2026, or else the organization will make sweeping changes, starting with him. In his mind, calling plays on defense gives him full control of the side of the ball he knows best.

Glenn originally wanted to be a hands-on coach for either side of the ball. That didn’t work out so well for the 3-14 Jets last season.

Now, Glenn seems to want to focus on what he does best: building a defense. The hiring of Duker seems to reinforce that belief, as will the likely hire of an experienced offensive play-caller, such as Frank Reich.

Time will tell if that ends up working, or if this is nothing more than a captain willing to go down with a sinking ship.