Throughout the offseason, NewYorkJets.com reporters Eric Allen, Randy Lange, John Pullano and Jack Bell will give their responses to a series of questions regarding the Jets.
Today's question: What do you like most about the Jets' new coordinator hires?
EA: Frank Reich is a seasoned play-caller who has an excellent reputation. As head coach of the Colts, he talked about the three Ts: Trust, Togetherness and Team. That's coupled with a relentless pursuit to get better every day and an obsession to finish. He has always embraced his role and as a player that meant being an excellent NFL backup quarterback. As a coach, Reich has worked with a long list of quarterbacks including Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, Nick Foles, Andrew Luck, Jacoby Brissett and Matt Ryan. He made such an impression on Luck that the Stanford GM brough him back as the Cardinal interim HC last spring. I'd expect the passing offense to have some traditional West Coast concepts, but Reich is going to run the ball and want to dominate in the trenches. He was part of an Indy staff that drafted Jonathan Taylor, who led the NFL with 332 rush attempts, 1,811 yards and 18 TDs in 2021. When HC Aaron Glenn began the defensive coordinator search, he stressed the importance of "compatibility" and "synergy." Brian Duker, 36, worked under Glenn in Detroit when AG was the defensive coordinator and the Jets' new DC began his NFL coaching career as a defensive intern on a Browns' staff that had Glenn as the assistants secondary/cornerbacks coach. A working trust has already been established, and it will be interesting if Glenn handles play-calling duties as most HCs are doing.
RL: Both are nice fits for what Aaron Glenn and the Jets need to do, starting now. Frank Reich has a strong track record as a QBs coach/offensive coordinator/head coach during his nine full coaching seasons from 2013-21. He contributed his pass-game and offensive knowledge to two teams that were No. 1 in the NFL in third-down conversions (San Diego in '13, Indianapolis as HC in '18) and one team with the top red zone offense (Philadelphia in '17), and if Reich's pass offenses weren't in the top 10 in the league, he was fixing them to get back into the upper tier the next year. New DC Brian Duker worked under Glenn when he was coordinating the Lions' D from 2021-23, then gained his own coordinator experience with Miami the past two seasons. So, he has a rapport with Glenn and can handle this Jets gig, however it's defined, if AG decides to be more hands-on with the Green & White defense.
JB: Frank Reich, the Jets' new offensive coordinator, has certainly been around the block as a head coach and assistant in the NFL, but he also has a local Long Island connection. Reich, 64, was born in Freeport (though he grew up in Pennsylvania), which is also the hometown of the Jets' former standout and steady offensive lineman D'Brickashaw Ferguson. In addition, he roomed with and served as the backup for Island native and former Jets QB Boomer Esiason when they were at the University of Maryland (not to mention Reich's residency at the former base at Hofstra University in 1996). GM Darren Mougey and HC Aaron Glenn opted to go with experience over promise in the hiring of Reich, who has worked with the offenses and QBs of four NFL teams (Indianapolis, Arizona, San Diego and Philadelphia) and as the head coach of two (Indianapolis and Carolina). Brian Duker, 36, the new defensive coordinator, has had a long working relationship with Glenn dating to 2016 when they were with Cleveland and then in Detroit in 2023. He spent the past two seasons as Miami's defensive pass game coordinator/secondary coach.
JP: The two things I like the most about the Jets' new coordinators are their experience and familiarity with HC Aaron Glenn. OC Frank Reich, 64, joins the second-year head coach's staff with 18 years of experience as a coach in the NFL and a résumé that can challenge just about anyone in terms of experience. The Jets will be the sixth team Reich has coached and the fourth he is the primary play-caller for. Over his 10 seasons calling plays, his offenses finished top 10 in points on 5 occasions, despite 7 starting QBs. In addition, Reich, who played 14 seasons in the NFL, shared the field with Glenn as a member of the Jets in 1996. As for new DC Brian Duker, despite being only 36 years old, 2026 will mark his 12th season coaching in the NFL and his sixth team. Duker spent 3 seasons with Glenn in Detroit as a defensive assistant and later the DBs coach. I think the continuity between Glenn and his new coordinators will bode well for a team with significant draft capital and cap space.
