FLORHAM PARK, N.J. --Over the last four years, the New York Jets defense has been considered one of the best units in the league. Despite their statistical success, though, cracks began to show in the once-near-infallible unit.
The new regime wants this defense back to that mark in 2025.
And …
It should be possible to accomplish that.
New York has All-Pro talents on each level of the defense. With a new staff led by head coach Aaron Glenn and defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, thesw coaches believes they can get better play out of the group.
In the case of Wilks, he likes what he sees from his defense.
"I feel like we are moving in the right direction," Wilks said at Wednesday's minicamp. "I always say it's early because we're still in shorts and t-shirts. You see exactly the identity of a lot of the individuals, but from a standpoint of the effort, the urgency, the tempo, the things that we are asking the guys to do, I'm pleased."
There is reason to be optimistic about the Jets' defense. While Glenn and Wilks haven't spoken about the scheme just yet, the staff has focused on several principles that they want to play with.
That includes proper tackling and an ability to force turnovers.
New York's current staff has plenty of experience in building strong defenses. With the talent he gets to work with, Wilks may be the perfect man to lead this unit.
While it's too early to tell if the Jets can return to their elite ways of the last few years, Wilks is confident in what he has seen so far.