Aaron Glenn takes first step to fix the NY Jets’ struggling defense

When Aaron Glenn was hired as the head coach of the New York Jets, he was tasked with bringing accountability and a culture to an organization that desperately needed them.

As a defensive-minded head coach and with a veteran defensive play-caller in Steve Wilks, the expectation was that New York’s typically stout defense would remain among the best in the NFL.

Through three games, that hasn’t happened, and it’s frustrated everyone involved.

The Jets have given up over 29 points in each of the first three games. They have faced some elite offenses like the Buffalo Bills, and most recently against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but for a defense with three All-Pros and multiple Pro Bowl-caliber performers, the production has been a significant disappointment so far.

Worse yet, the head coach is left looking for answers.

Aaron Glenn takes accountability

In almost every statistic, the Jets’ defense has faltered hard to start 2025. They are 29th in points allowed, 22nd in yards allowed, 24th in rushing yards allowed, and 15th in yards per game.

Quite a downward spiral compared to the last few years of top-five finishes in many of those categories.

Following New York’s 29-27 loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday, Glenn has been left to take stock of what his team needs to improve the most. The head coach’s first action was to take accountability for his unit’s struggles.

“You can’t give up the number of points that we have given up and expect to just be gung-ho about it, and every guy knows that,” Glenn said. “We’re all a part of that, and we’re all going to do everything we can to fix that. To me, I look at that as just common sense.”

There are a number of reasons why New York has struggled on the defensive side of the ball. Glenn, a man-coverage coach, and Wilks, a zone-coverage play-caller, are trying to combine two different styles.

The players’ culpability

That kind of conversation can be complicated for young players in their first year in the system. As the Jets’ secondary struggles, further questions about the complexity of the scheme will only grow.

Then there are the actual players. From Sauce Gardner to Quincy Williams, New York’s best players haven’t played up to their elite stature in 2025. Until they do, the Jets will continue to struggle.

At the end of the day, the NFL is a player’s league. The more the Jets struggle to tackle (they missed 16 on Sunday and 34 through the first three weeks) and are called for undisciplined penalties, the more the unit will struggle.

Glenn, a former cornerback and defensive play-caller, means that the defense as a whole must play much better than it has. Fans and analysts can sugarcoat it all they want, but a unit with so many quality starters on it should not be among the worst in the NFL.

The New York Jets need answers on their defense, and they need it fast.