As New York Jets fans know firsthand, coaching can win and lose games in the modern-day NFL. Having a true strategist or an elite play caller is a major advantage.

Do the Jets have that?

Aaron Glenn is coming off an atrocious first season as the team’s head coach and is looking to flip the script. Perhaps he will emerge as a very solid defensive play-caller, just as he was with the Detroit Lions, but he struggled even with the simple things in his first year as the Jets’ HC, such as timeout usage and clock management.

I already know this is going to ruffle the feathers of certain Jets fans, but it has to be said: Tennessee has a stronger coaching staff than the Jets do.

Given that, the Tennessee Titans already have an advantage over the Jets as both squads prepare for Week 1.

Robert Saleh or Aaron Glenn?

Let’s start with the head coach. It would take a massive turnaround for Glenn to get the Jets on the right track this season after a very rough first year on the job.

Robert Saleh, as he gets ready for his first year as the Titans’ head coach, is in a fascinating situation. He is someone Jets fans know more than anyone.

As Jets fans can attest, during the vast majority of Saleh’s tenure in New York, there was one thing the team’s fanbase didn’t need to worry about: defensive play. From 2022 through Saleh’s in-season firing during the 2024 season, the Jets’ defense was rock solid and nearly always kept the team in games, even winning some essentially on their own.

From 2022 through 2023, the Jets ranked third-best in the NFL in defensive EPA per play (-0.077), trailing only the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys.

Throughout 56 games as the Jets’ head coach, Saleh had a 20-36 record, including two seven-win seasons with Zach Wilson at quarterback, most impressively a 7-4 start in 2022—his second season as the team’s leader.

The biggest reason why Saleh didn’t work out in New York was the quarterback position. That, of course, also happens to be the most important position in sports. Without a competent QB, it’s difficult to win.

Saleh overperformed with Wilson in two seasons. Then, once Aaron Rodgers recovered from his torn Achilles and returned for the 2024 season, things didn’t get off to an expected start.

The offense wasn’t clicking, and the Jets began the season 2-3 before Saleh was fired. Once he was fired, however, everything began to snowball. The Jets finished the year with a 5-12 record, while their defensive production dropped significantly. New York dropped from fifth in defensive EPA per play from Weeks 1-5 to 30th after Saleh was fired.

Now, Cam Ward may not be the quarterback Saleh can win with, but we at least know that one thing should be a given with him as head coach: defensive performance.

The same argument could be made for Glenn, given his time as Detroit’s DC, but New York’s defense was among the worst in football in 2025. He wasn’t calling plays, though; that was Steve Wilks.

Again, perhaps the unit could look entirely different in 2026 with Glenn as the Jets’ play-caller, but there is nothing tangible to prove his play-calling will magically turn the team’s defense into one of the best in the league.

That is the biggest difference between Glenn and Saleh entering Week 1. Saleh has an extensive track record showing that his system works. With Glenn, there is less hope.

Saleh helped build a Super Bowl defense as the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator before becoming the Jets’ HC. Glenn deserves credit for helping turn Detroit’s unit around and dealing with injuries, but his resume as a defensive coordinator does not match Saleh’s.

There is also one major difference this time around for Saleh: he will call Tennessee’s defensive plays himself. That is unlike his time with the Jets, when DC Jeff Ulbrich was the play-caller.

That allows Saleh to take direct control of the areas where he has been elite as a coach. This offseason, he added several players who have thrived in his system, including many former Jets, and he will have full autonomy over the unit.

Let’s call it for what it is: there is more reason for confidence in Saleh as a defensive play-caller than there is with Glenn. With that alone, the Titans already have an advantage.

The offensive comparison is not close

The gap widens even more when comparing the offensive coordinators: Frank Reich versus Brian Daboll.

Daboll’s tenure as the Giants’ head coach eventually ran its course, and it was time for a change, but his ability to design an offense was never a concern. He helped facilitate Josh Allen’s breakout in Buffalo and won a playoff game with Daniel Jones.

Another reason Saleh struggled to find success in New York is his inability to make the right hire at offensive coordinator. Mike LaFleur was promising, as evidenced by him eventually becoming a head coach, but the Jets ran him out of town for Nathaniel Hackett as part of their Aaron Rodgers pursuit, and Jets fans know how that went.

If Daboll can be the OC he was in Buffalo, he is the perfect complement to Saleh as a head coach.

It will be interesting to see how Daboll constructs the Titans’ offense. Ward is entering his second season after a rough rookie campaign. The 2025 No. 1 overall pick dealt with an in-season firing of his head coach and didn’t have a stable supporting cast.

Daboll’s job this year is simple: identify what Ward does well and lead him to a sophomore leap. Easier said than done, of course, but Ward’s supporting cast, both coaching-wise and offensively, is much stronger than it was during his rookie season.

He still has plenty to prove, but Daboll has successfully built strong offenses around multiple quarterbacks in the NFL.

On the other hand, there are many more questions about Reich. Both of his previous stops in the NFL ended with mid-season firings. After that, he stepped away from football for a year before coaching at Stanford University in 2025 and being named the Jets’ OC earlier this offseason.

It’s not all negative with the 64-year-old. There is schematic cohesion between him and Geno Smith, which is super valuable. However, it’s important to keep in mind that it’s been quite some time since Reich has had success at the NFL level.

We will see quickly if Reich is able to modernize his system to fit the modern game. The early returns are more encouraging than not, but the start to the regular season will provide the real answer.

Without a doubt, Daboll has the edge over Reich as Week 1 rolls around.

Given that Saleh also has a more reliable track record than Glenn on the defensive side, Tennessee has the overall coaching edge until proven otherwise.

Out-coaching Saleh and Daboll in Week 1 would be a crucial step in the right direction for Glenn and Reich as they look to win over Jets fans.