For many New York Jets fans, it’s hard to stay positive about head coach Aaron Glenn after his first campaign ended in a 3-14 record.
However, the players he has coached feel the exact opposite. Glenn has clearly done a great job building connections with his players.
Speaking to Steve Serby of the New York Post, current New York Giants defensive tackle D.J. Reader, who played under Glenn, lauded the Jets’ head coach.
“I loved A.G. [Glenn], man, that’s my dawg, man,” said Reader. “A.G.’s a really, really good coach, and a really good person. Just the way he talks to you, the way he loves on you when you make a play, as hard as he is on you when you’re doing things wrong, he’s the first one there to pick you up when you make a play.”
Reader and Glenn overlapped with the Detroit Lions during the 2024 season, when the latter was Detroit’s defensive coordinator.
Glenn is taking over the play-calling reins on defense this season after a 2025 season in which Gang Green led one of the league’s worst defenses. The head coach fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks midseason before turning to Chris Harris as the interim.
During Glenn’s time in Detroit, his defense continued to improve over four seasons. Per DVOA, his defenses ranked 29th, 27th, 13th, and fifth, respectively, from 2021-24.
After ranking 31st in defensive DVOA in 2025, the Jets are looking to take a sizeable step forward in 2026. Glenn should be a notable upgrade over last year’s play-calling, while the personnel is much more stable.
Veterans such as Demario Davis, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and David Onyemata, along with the acquisition of T’Vondre Sweat, will help lift both the ceiling and the floor of the unit.
If Reader’s words mean anything, the Jets’ defense should be much better under Glenn’s play-calling this season.
