How Aaron Glenn Is Already Succeeding as Jets' Defensive Play-Caller Before 2026 Season Begins

After some initial skepticism, the 54-year-old HC has proven he can rise to the occasion before the regular season has even begun.

Head coach Aaron Glenn had a lot on his mind when it came to the Jets' defense following Friday's preseason win. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's head coach Aaron Glenn's superpower. For better or worse, it will drive the Jets through the 2026 season as well.

When Glenn announced at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine that he would call plays for the Jets' defense this year, the decision was met with some skepticism. Sure, he succeeded as a play-caller in Detroit, but the current head coach seemed to struggle with his wide range of duties last year.

Would he get better at the job while adding another key responsibility?

Through two preseason games, it's too early to tell whether the Jets will be successful as a play-caller. What is clear, though, is that the juggling act that Glenn appears to be on is working. From the player and coach perspective, things are on the up and up.

Aaron Glenn is thriving as Jets' defensive play-caller

Early returns from Glenn's play-calling specifics proved beneficial to key starters along the unit. While every play-caller has tendencies, New York's head coach wants to make sure his players understand where he's coming from with each call.

Veterans like defensive lineman Harrison Phillips have commended Glenn for his openness in the line of communication.

"I really appreciate (that Glenn) comes into our defensive meeting and he'll explain his mindset going into certain situations," Phillips said. "The preseason game, we're not showing every play we have. But the way we're doing these little meetings—it's been some of the most fun meetings I've ever been a part of."

The fact that Harrison Phillips is already singing HC Aaron Glenn's praises should have Jets fans excited for what's to come as far as defense goes this season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Through two preseason games, the Jets have liked what they have seen from their starting defense. In Friday's shutout victory over Pittsburgh, New York forced two turnovers and recovered a fumble. More importantly, the unit also racked up four sacks in the victory, as well as 17 pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.

While Gang Green's starters were going against backups, and that should be expected from the main group, the mistakes committed across the 2025 campaign at least show that improvement has been made from each level of the unit.

Especially from Glenn's basic scheme.

"This is the second week in a row where I thought our defense played fairly well," Glenn said after the win on Friday. "They were stout. But again, there are some things as far as our coverage that we've got to get better at, and I don't want to get too much into that, but I know for a fact that we've got to get better at some of those things. That's what training camp is for."

Looking ahead...

New York fans will get a better glimpse of Glenn's "superpower" early during the 2026 season.

The process the team is operating, though, is extremely important. In many ways, that process has worked well. Gang Green's run fits are far better than anything they showed last season, and an improvement at safety lets the team operate in unique ways to address their pass-defense concerns.

The 2026 Jets will hinge greatly on Glenn. If the head coach can call plays competently and improve his in-game management, the organization will be far better than it was last year and could challenge for an AFC playoff berth.

Through two preseason games, the Jets appear on that track, leaving it to time to tell if that trend will continue into the preseason finale against the Giants on Friday night.

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