No matter how bad the Miami Dolphins have been at times over the past quarter-century, fans can at least always say they aren't the New York Jets. After an abysmal first season as the Jets' head coach, Aaron Glenn has spent the past few weeks attempting to retool his coaching staff. The results have been...interesting, to say the least.
After firing defensive coordinator Steve Wilks in the middle of December, and his replacement, Chris Harris Jr., not doing any better, it seemed like Glenn would be looking for another veteran DC to help him rebuild his defense.
Instead, former defensive passing game coordinator and secondary coach Brian Duker was given the nod after interviewing with the Jets just two days ago. Considering the struggles Miami's secondary has had over the past few seasons, his promotion with the Jets is questionable at best.
OFFICIAL: We've hired Brian Duker as our defensive coordinator.
— New York Jets (@nyjets) January 28, 2026
Jets continuing to flounder helps the Miami Dolphins chances of rising back to prominence
This is not meant to disparage Duker in any way, but the Jets' landing on him as their DC was clearly not the plan. Not only is he not a veteran coach who has experience calling defenses, but he was the ninth guy to interview for the job.
It also guarantees that Glenn will be calling plays for the defense in 2026, something he said he wanted to avoid when he first got the job. It may be for the best considering how bad the Jets' defense was in 2025, with the unit finishing 31st in points allowed and 25th in yards allowed. There is also the infamous zero interceptions they managed last year as well, which still feels like a fake stat.
The Dolphins defense wasn't that much better, but the talent level (especially before the Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams trades) on the Jets defense dwarfed Miami.
Duker likely got this gig more due to his prior relationship with Glenn (they were on the Lions together from 2021-2023) than anything he showed while in Miami, and he again won't be the guy calling the defense next season. The most likely outcome is that the Jets struggle mightily again in 2026, Glenn loses his job, and this entire staff is back on the market heading into 2027.
Dolphins fans have certainly had it rough, but they at least can say they have some glimmer of hope on the horizon. Jets fans should be able to say the same, thanks to their treasure trove of draft picks, but this wouldn't be the first time they loaded up on high picks just to end up going nowhere.