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Aaron Glenn was asked about his team having no interceptions through eight games.
He obviously isn’t thrilled about that, but did explain they play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and generally, you don’t have as many picks in man-to-man coverage.
He said you get more in-zone coverage.
That is a fair point. When you are playing “man,” you are not looking at the QB, but keeping your eyes on the man you are covering.
In zone, you generally drop into an area and look at the QB, so some would argue that it is more conducive to interception opportunities.
However, there are other issues beyond the type of coverage they play, and it should be noted that they do play some zone coverage.
The cornerback play has not been terrible, with the now departed Sauce Gardner and Brandon Stephens on the outside, and departed Michael Carter and then Jarvis Brownless in the slot.
You could argue that the issue with more with safety and linebacker coverage.
The Jets’ safety play this year has been pedestrian. Let’s be honest, if you are two instinctive ballhawks at safety, they are going to jump routes and create pick opportunities.
The Jets signed Andre Cisco, who has been a ballhawk in the past at Syracuse and in Jacksonville, but you didn’t see much of that this year before he went on IR last week. Now, in his defense, he’s been playing with a bad shoulder all year, and that malady landed him on IR.
Next to Cisco, early in the year was Tony Adams, but he was quietly replaced in the starting lineup by rookie Malachi Moore, who has a high upside, but doesn’t seem ready. He failed to provide the requisite double coverage assistance on that 44-yard TD pass from Joe Flacco to Tee Higgins in Cincinnati. Like other rookies, he’s often a tick late reacting, as he learns the whys and wherefores of dissecting complex NFL offensive schemes.
For those calling for Adams to be replaced, if you are going to be blunt about it, Moore has not been an upgrade so far.
As for linebacker, not to belabor the point, because we’ve covered it quite a bit in this space, the pass coverage has not been good enough.
And pass coverage might have been one of the factors that led Aaron Glenn to make a change at linebacker this week, moving Quincy Williams to a reserve role.
While this issue was ignored by the previous regime and media, Williams has not been great in coverage since arriving in Florham Park in 2021.
With his 4.59 speed, he should be better than he is, but too often he’s been a see-and-go reactor. Jamien Sherwood has the same issue.
The great coverage linebackers see things before they happen. Those are not easy to find. When the Jets played the Carolina Panthers a few weeks ago, I saw Luke Kuechly in the press box. The former Panthers linebacker now does some broadcasting for the team. I’m not a fan-boy, but I’m not going to lie, he’s one of my favorite players of all time. His instincts were insane. I think he belongs in the Hall of Fame. I went over to tell him how much I admired his game. We talked for a few minutes. Great guy. Very humble.
With all these premium draft picks in the next couple of drafts, the Jets need to go out and find a linebacker with off-the-charts instincts.
Look, Williams and Sherwood are tough as hell and give you everything they’ve got, but their coverage instincts are just not great. It is what it is.
And this idea that with the Williams now going to a reserve role, the team might turn to Kiko Mauigoa to replace him makes no sense.
He’s another guy who’s tough as hell, is a big hitter, and is pretty good in run support, but he’s another linebacker who is a tick late reacting in coverage.
The obvious replacement for Williams is clearly Mykal Walker.
You would be saying “Who?”
He is a journeyman linebacker that the team signed on September 1 to the practice squad, and promoted to the regular roster on October 4.
He is 28 and the Jets are his seventh team.
He was a fourth-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons in 2020, and spent three seasons with the team.
As for coverage, in Week 14 of his second season, he picked off Carolina QB Cam Newton and returned it 66 yards for TD.
I have to be honest, I can’t remember the last Pick Six by a Jets linebacker.
So Walker is the obvious choice to replace Williams.
And something else that would help the Jets get a pick – a more consistent pass rush.
November 7, 2025
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