Aaron Glenn may have a defensive background as a player and a coach, but he's made it clear that his attention will expand to all three phases in his role as Jets head coach.
Glenn, in his first year as HC, has stressed the importance of special teams in his first four months at One Jets Drive.
"My last two stops, and when I say that I mean New Orleans and with Detroit, I really saw how special teams made a huge impact as far as wins and losses," he said after rookie minicamp. "I'm not saying that the other teams I was with didn't pay attention to it, but, man, I really see how they can really change an outcome of a game from being aggressive as far as fakes -- that's what we did in Detroit quite a bit -- and having a dynamic returner that can create, fill a position for you.
"Then understand the situational football when it comes to special teams, which I've learned quite a bit in my last couple years of coaching and really trying to study special teams, so it will always be an emphasis for us. We have two really good coaches that are going to do a good job coaching that side."
As Glenn alluded to, he's been around dynamic returners. Deonte Harty was a first-team All-Pro with the Saints in 2019 as an undrafted rookie when Glenn was the defensive backs coach in New Orleans.
Kalif Raymond was a second-team All-Pro in the 2022 and '24 seasons for the Lions when Glenn was their defensive coordinator. Raymond, who had a stint with the Jets in 2017, led the NFL with 413 punt return yards last season and ran a punt back for a touchdown.And Glenn, who was a three-time Pro Bowler at CB during this playing days, totaled 2,622 return yards on his 115 kick returns (22.8 per) including a 96-yarder for a score against the Bills in the 1997 home opener. The following season, Glenn caught a missed field goal in Indianapolis and raced 104 yards for a touchdown.
In a few months with the Green & White, Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey have made several moves with special teams in mind.
Already armed with special teams ace Irvin Charles, who is coming off an ACL injury, Mougey signed Kris Boyd in free agency, who has been a core special teams player most of his career and most recently for the Texans. Mougey then drafted players with special teams backgrounds like Georgia WR Arian Smith, Alabama S Malachi Moore and Miami LB Francisco Mauigoa.
Mougey also made a pair of moves to get younger at specialist. He signed P Austin McNamara, 24, in free agency and Mississippi K Caden Davis, 20, as an undrafted free agent before the team released P Thomas Morstead, 39, and K Greg Zuerlein, 37, last week. K Anders Carlson, 26, and rookie P Kai Kroeger, 22, will be in the mix as well.
For the first time since 2015, the Jets special teams will not be coached by Brant Boyer. New coordinator Chris Banjo, who turned 35 in January, is the second-youngest STC in the NFL.
Banjo overlapped with Glenn in New Orleans from 2016-18 when Banjo led the team with 729 combined special teams snaps over those three seasons. He coached under Mike Westhoff, who was Banjo's ST coordinator in New Orleans and the Jets' STC from 2001-12, with the Broncos last season. Westhoff overlapped with Glenn the player in New York for one season and as a coach in the Big Easy.
"There was no doubt in my mind that [Banjo] would be a coach, but he also was a proven special teamer in New Orleans," Glenn said. "He understood what his role was. And listen, he didn't take that lightly. And I'm huge when it comes to specials because it could really change the nature of a game when you have a big-time special teams play. And he's going to give that to us. So, there's no better person for that job than Chris Banjo."
