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As you know by now, NFL Insider Aaron Wilson of KPRC-TV in Houston announced on Friday: “Jets move on from several assistant coaches, including Charles London, Eric Washington, Roosevelt Williams, Scott Turner, Aaron Curry, Alonso Escalante, per NFL sources. Hearing they will reassign at least one other offensive coach who was retained by Aaron Glenn.”
He later tweeted, “Jets fired assistant defensive backs coach Dre Bly, per league source. Offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrad remains on Aaron Glenn’s staff, per league sources, while role. responsibilities, structure of the NFL’s 29th-ranked total, scoring offense expected to change, and still being defined.”
So it took about three weeks, but it finally happened – Glenn is making staff changes.
Often when a head coach is making staff changes, he does it right after the season.
Wilson told podcaster Jake Asman on Saturday that these coaches all found out on January 23.
Why did it take that long?
Who knows? Glenn seems to march to the beat of his own drummer, and I don’t mean that as an attack. He has a different M.O. in handling things than other coaches. We saw how he handled the meeting with Aaron Rodger to tell the QB they were moving on. He’s wired differently.
Glenn is going to do things his way, and he seems to have 100 percent support from Woody Johnson and Hymie Elhai, despite his 3-14 record in Year 1, punctuated by five blowout losses to wrap up the season.
One theory floated about the process that led to the firings of the defensive assistants, which were most of the firings aside from passing game coordinator Scott Turner, is kind of troubling.
“Holdover Jets position coaches on defense are in a holding pattern, which, according to league sources, they’ve been told will be decided in coalition between Glenn and whomever he hires as defensive coordinator,” Zach Rosenblatt on the New York Times reported a week ago,
If that is true, that is so wrong.
So candidates for a job got their coaching brethren fired from an organization they don’t even work for yet. If that indeed happened, which I have no idea if it did, that would be unfortunate.
Imagine interviewing for a job, and telling the head coach who he should fire.
Now, of course, a newly hired defensive coordinator would want some input on his staff, but wouldn’t that be after they are hired, and actually talked to the staffers, treated them like human beings, and see what they have to say?
I could never imagine being one of several candidates for a job, and telling the head coach who should be fired.
In fact, I would never tell the boss who to fire, in any job. That’s not my job. That is his job.
And how would I feel if somebody did that to me?
These decisions should be 100 percent up to Glenn, especially on defense where he made his reputation as a player and coach.
He would need the DC candidates to tell him who to fire.
And once again, when that story was put out, there were several candidates, so you are telling the group of candidates told Glenn who to fire?
If so, that is disgusting.
But here’s the thing, I don’t buy the story.
And some of these defensive assistants were dealt terrible player personnel hands, like drawing 16 in blackjack against a dealer’s 10.
What was linebacker coach Aaron Curry supposed to do with his top three linebackers entering the season, two veterans and a rookie, all of whom have poor pass coverage instincts?
What was defensive line coach Eric Washington supposed to do with Michael Clemons, a player forced on him, who is a bad fit for the system due to his limited speed, quickness, and flexibility?
Why was Scott Turner fired as passing game coordinator, but the man above him, who called the passing game, seems to be staying?
Look, we all know NFL head coaches often make staff changes after their first year.
But the question here is why did they take so long – why were these men forced to twist in the wind for three weeks?
Hey, it’s how Glenn chose to handle it, and it really doesn’t matter what anybody else thinks aside from Woody and Hymie, and they have his back.
With all this being said, Glenn needs to knock this next round of hires out of the park.
The Jets need better coaching in 2026, from the top on down.
January 26, 2026
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