Brian Duker rumors show he is yet another Aaron Glenn coordinator whiff

The New York Jets fired both of their 2025 coordinators, as OC Tanner Engstrand and DC Steve Wilks were shown the door after Aaron Glenn started his tenure with a 3-14 mark. They were replaced with former head coach Frank Reich on the offensive side and Miami Dolphins assistant Brian Duker on defense, though Glenn assumed play-calling duties.

Reich has mostly been bad, but he can lean on the fact that his offense can move the ball with regularity. Duker's defense started out hot, but they have been unwatchable outside of a handful of players in the last few games. When paired with the fact that Duker is not a particularly adored coach, the locker room situation is starting to deteriorate.

Per Connor Hughes, Duker is not "particularly well-liked in the building," and there have been rumblings of "negative things" from those who talked to Jets staffers about the first-year coordinator. Turns out being the defensive coordinator of a 2-7 team with major issues on his side of the ball can lead to people turning.

New York Jets DC Brian Duker not "well-liked" behind closed doors

Duker was a confidant of Glenn back in his days with the Detroit Lions, serving as safeties coach in 2022 and defensive backs coach in 2023. Duker spent the last two seasons as the defensive pass game coordinator with the Dolphins. The results weren't spectacular, but he was working with some iffy talent.

Duker's hire came after a joke of a defensive coordinator interview process. While the Jets did interview some big names, including a few who earned jobs elsewhere in Daronte Jones and Jim Leonhard, they had settled on former Giants DC Wink Martindale. When Glenn wanted to call plays himself, the Martindale hire fell apart.

Duker was brought in to be a sounding board for Glenn, giving the embattled head coach more autonomy over the defense. In that regard, he can almost be excused for the team's defensive struggles. On the other hand, the Jets have a defensive coordinator who has seemingly no contribution to winning.

Brian Duker isn't helping the New York Jets

It remains unclear what Duker is doing with the Jets. He has been very unimpressive at the podium, and there has been no clarity as to how he helps the defense. Duker could at least hang his hat in the secondary by playing well to begin the season, but that unit has regressed to a shocking degree over the last few weeks.

Brandon Stephens and Azareye'h Thomas have had a rough few weeks; veteran Minkah Fitzpatrick is showing some questionable effort at times, and rookie D'Angelo Ponds has been getting lit up when he has been on the field. If the defensive backs guy isn't even helping the defensive backs, what does he even do here?

Glenn has at least shown enough prior to the Jets to earn another defensive coordinator or high-ranking assistant job when New York gets rid of him. Duker is putting together such an unimpressive resume that he will likely find it tough to convince another team to take a chance on him.

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