Along with having a first-time head coach in Aaron Glenn, the Jets may also have a first-time offensive coordinator in 2025.
Glenn employed Tanner Engstrand in January, after he spent three seasons because the Lions’ passing sport coordinator.
Though he could lack NFL playcalling expertise, Engstrand is assured he’s prepared for his alternative to show the Jets offense round.
“One hundred percent, absolutely ready,” Engstrand mentioned throughout his first media availability on Thursday. “I’m excited to be in it.
“I’ve been in a coordinator role before at multiple different places, obviously not in the NFL, but I think nine years or something like that, as a coordinator, and so I feel 100% confident. I’m excited for this opportunity.”
Engstrand has by no means been an offensive coordinator on the NFL degree. Nevertheless, he does have faculty and XFL expertise within the position.
Engstrand can be tasked with bettering a Jets offense that was one of many worst within the NFL final season. They completed twenty fourth in yards (310.3) and factors per sport (19.9).
That was underneath former quarterback Aaron Rodgers and former offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. Rodgers was launched in March and Hackett was demoted from playcalling duties amidst a 5-12 season.
Shortly after releasing Rodgers, the Jets signed Justin Fields to a two-year, $40 million contract in March. Fields is a dual-threat quarterback who can create performs by means of the air and along with his legs on the bottom. He’s one among three quarterbacks [Michael Vick, Lamar Jackson] who’ve rushed for over 1,00 in a season.
Engstrand and Glenn are hoping Fields may be the subsequent quarterback reclamation venture after shifting to a brand new workforce, equally to Geno Smith, Sam Darnold, and Baker Mayfield.
“Just talking to him, you can just tell he’s really smart,” Fields mentioned about Engstrand. “He knows what he’s doing, so I think he’s very detailed with installing the plays and stuff like that, especially in the limited time that we have now. So, like I said, he’s putting a lot on the guys plate, our plate, but I think in the long run it’ll help us.”
Whereas in Detroit, Engstrand labored with Jared Goff, who’s extra of a standard pocket passer. However he’s excited to work with Fields and unlock his full potential.
“He is just a talented individual on all facets,” Engstrand mentioned. “He’s clearly a bodily proficient participant. All people talks concerning the operating, effectively, the man’s obtained an arm, too, and he does an awesome job with that.
“And mentally, he’s phenomenal. He’s been absolutely phenomenal so far, and we expect more out of that, and it’s just a lot of things that you can do with that type of player that is going to put stress on a defense and make that defensive coordinator stay up late at night as we get going into this thing.”
Throughout that point in Detroit, Engstrand helped the workforce grow to be a top-five unit every of the final three seasons. The Jets new system gained’t simply be a mirrored image of Engstrand however of Glenn as effectively.
Glenn goes to present Engstrand freedom to do what’s finest for the Jets offense by way of scheme and sport planning. However additionally it is going to be a mould of what Glenn envisions for the workforce, which, in keeping with Jets defensive sort out Quinnen Williams, is “Hard-nose football.”
However Engstrand is aware of the kind of offensive type he desires to convey to the Jets.
“I think we just want to play fast,” Engstrand mentioned. “We need to be bodily, we need to be aggressive, we need to be explosive, and we need to be detailed.
“We want that to show up on tape each and every week. When somebody looks at our tape, we want those things to show up, and that’s what we’re going to shoot for.”
