Aaron Glenn finally had seen enough from his porous, underachieving New York Jets defense after 14 games.
The first-year head coach fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks on Monday, a day after the team gave up 48 points in one of its worst losses in a 3-11 season.
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Glenn announced that Chris Harris, the team's defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator, would take over for Wilks. Glenn added that he would assist Harris in the play-calling duties this week.
Glenn said during a video call with reporters that he made the decision late Sunday night — a few hours after New York's 48-20 loss at Jacksonville. He said he spoke to Wilks on Monday morning to inform him that he was relieving him of his duties.
“I felt like it was the best decision for the organization at this time,” Glenn said. “I've said this all along, that I'm evaluating players, I'm evaluating coaches, I'm evaluating myself, and I just felt like this was the best decision for right now, for the team and for this organization.”
The 56-year-old Wilks was the first of the Jets' three coordinators hired by Glenn after he took over as head coach in January. Wilks was out of the NFL last season while serving as a volunteer adviser for Charlotte’s football team. He was San Francisco’s defensive coordinator in 2023, but was fired after the 49ers’ loss in the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Wilks' defense with the Jets struggled all season, ranking among the league's worst against the run and points allowed. New York set an NFL record with no interceptions through its first 14 games, which also tied a league mark for any 14-game stretch in a season.
The Jets had expected their defense to be a strength for a team that was adjusting to changes to its coaching staff and with a new general manager in Darren Mougey. But the unit struggled all season under Wilks. As of Monday, the Jets' defense ranks 20th overall, 29th against the run and 30th in average points allowed. The pass defense has been serviceable, ranking 12th in the league.
New York, which failed to make the playoffs for the 15th straight year, dealt two of its top players — cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams — at the trade deadline. That further weakened an already inconsistent defense under Wilks.
Two weeks ago, the Jets gave up 167 yards rushing in a 27-24 victory over Atlanta. They followed that up by allowing 239 yards on the ground last week in a 34-10 loss to Miami. On Sunday, Trevor Lawrence threw five touchdown passes and ran for another score in the blowout loss at Jacksonville, during which the Jaguars scored on eight of their first nine possessions.
After the game, Glenn brushed off questions about whether he might consider pulling play-calling duties from Wilks, saying he brought the veteran coach to New York “for a reason, and I want him to run his system.” A few hours later, Glenn decided to move forward without Wilks for the final three games of the season.
“I just thought that from last week going into this week, the improvement wasn't there,” Glenn said. “And I thought it was time to make a change.”
The 43-year-old Harris had 16 career interceptions while playing safety for eight NFL seasons during two stints with Chicago, along with stops in Carolina, Detroit and Jacksonville. After retiring from playing in 2013, Harris began his coaching career as a defensive quality control coach for the Bears before joining the Chargers as an assistant defensive backs coach in 2016.
He served in the same role for Washington from 2020 through the 2022 season before being hired by Tennessee as the defensive pass game coordinator and cornerbacks coach.
Glenn said Harris has experience calling defensive plays in the preseason, so he expects him to get up to speed quickly.
“This is a league of change,” Glenn said. “And with change comes opportunity, and this will be a good opportunity for him to get a chance to call it.”
The Jets actually got their second defensive takeaway of the season against Jacksonville, a fumble recovery by Malachi Moore — just over two months after Andre Cisco's fumble recovery against Denver on Oct. 12. New York ranks last in the NFL with a minus-17 turnover differential.
“I want to see consistent improvement,” Glenn said. “I want to see structure that’s consistent. I want to see play that’s consistent. And I want to see the culture of this football team come together.”
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