Practically 20 years earlier than he coached alongside Aaron Glenn, Tanner Engstrand teamed up with Darren Mougey.
All three males can be collectively now in key roles for this new period of the Jets, as Glenn employed Engstrand to be his offensive coordinator, the staff introduced Friday.
Mougey, the newly employed normal supervisor, met Engstrand in 2004, when each have been backup quarterbacks at San Diego State.
The starter on the time was Kevin O’Connell — now the top coach of the Vikings.
For Glenn — a first-time head coach with a defensive background — offensive coordinator is his most vital employees rent.
So, it is smart that he would entrust the job to a well-known face like Engstrand, who was an offensive assistant who labored with tight ends and labored his technique to passing sport coordinator for the Lions through the 4 years that Glenn was the staff’s defensive coordinator.
The Jets have been rebuffed by their first alternative for offensive coordinator, SNY reported: Rams tight ends coach and go sport coordinator Nick Caley let it’s identified that he was not within the job.
Caley is on the identical Rams’ employees as former Jets offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, who was pushed out the door after two seasons (2021-22) and blamed for quarterback Zach Wilson’s lack of growth.
Wilson’s profession remained a disappointment after LaFleur’s exit and the quarterback’s commerce to the Broncos.
Engstrand’s solely offensive coordinator expertise got here in 2020, when he was with the XFL’s DC Defenders below longtime NFL quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton.
Engstrand solely had been a university soccer assistant previous to going to the XFL and had been with the Lions ever since that one-year stint.
The Jets solely can hope that Engstrand, 42, is ready to come near replicating the success he was simply uncovered to in Detroit.
The Lions led the NFL in scoring (33.2 factors per sport) and ranked second in whole offense (409.5 yards per sport).
Engstrand’s job ought to get simpler if Mougey and Glenn determine to maintain 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers — and Rodgers shares the sentiment to return and be receptive to studying a brand new offense.
If the Jets start looking for a quarterback, then Engstrand’s prospect analysis abilities can be essential.
The lingering query with Engstrand is why he grew to become out there to Glenn.
The Lions misplaced offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who grew to become head coach of the Bears and opted to pluck 28-year-old Decan Doyle from the Broncos to be his offensive coordinator as an alternative of taking Engstrand with him.
To interchange Johnson, the Lions selected to go outdoors the constructing and rent John Morton as their offensive coordinator as an alternative of elevating Engstrand.
Morton, who was with the Broncos in 2023, was the Jets offensive coordinator below Todd Bowles in 2017.
When it grew to become clear that Engstrand possible could be Jets-bound, the Lions moved shortly to rent Stanford head coach David Shaw into Engstrand’s title (passing sport coordinator).
The Jets started filling out elements of their defensive employees below coordinator Steve Wilks, too.
Glenn received’t be the one former NFL participant on employees.
Aaron Curry (4 seasons) would be the linebackers coach and Chris Harris (eight seasons) would be the go sport coordinator and defensive backs coach, per experiences.
Curry, who as soon as signed a six-year, $60 million contract as a rookie drafted No. 4 general in 2009, coached inside linebackers for the Steelers final season.
Harris interviewed for the defensive coordinator place earlier than Wilks was employed, based on ESPN.
When he didn’t get that job, Harris settled for a really comparable function to what he had with the Titans over the past two seasons.
The Jets additionally made official the beforehand reported addition of particular groups coordinator Chris Banjo.