The best choice for defensive coordinator for the Jets in 2026 was a fan favorite as a player.

Locked on Jets starts now.

You are Locked on Jets, your daily New York Jets podcast, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day.

Welcome, this is the Locked-on Jets podcast, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day.

It is Monday, January 19th, 2026, and I'm your host, John B from Ganggreen Nation.com. Thank you so much for making the show your first listener, first watch every day, and for making locked on the number one sports podcast network. A big shout out to you every day, or as if you're new to the show, this is a daily podcast covering the New York Jets with new episodes each day through the week, Monday, through Friday, and our episode today is brought to by Fandual. Fandual is officially in playoff mode. Every game day during the NFL playoffs, Fanduel is giving customers even more ways to get in on the action. Visit Fandual.com to get started. On today's show, we are focusing on the Jets search for a new defensive coordinator. The Jets announced on Friday the eight candidates they are interviewing to replace Steve Wilkes. I think some of these candidates are good. Some of them are not so good. I'll give you my thoughts on the quality of these eight candidates on today's show. We'll also talk a little bit about Sam Darnold, who's in the news. I think there's one big mistake Jets fans make when they lament that the team let Sam Darnold go in 2021.

We'll talk about that.

But let's begin by talking about this search for a defensive coordinator.

As you probably remember, the Jets fired Steve Wilkes, their defensive coordinator after their week 15 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

It was an embarrassing loss.

The Jets defense was very bad all season

under Wilkes. Unfortunately, things did not improve after Wilkes is firing. Chris Harris, who was

part of the coaching staff, he was the defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator,

took over for the final three weeks, and things did not get any better. So the Jets searching for

a new defensive coordinator.

Of these eight candidates, I think there are three who really stand out to me. And to me,

the top choice is a name who's probably familiar if you're a Jets fan. That's Jim Lennard.

Now, that name's familiar because he was a player for the Jets for three years from 2009 through 2011. He was one of

the first free agents that Jets signed after they hired Rex Ryan as their head coach. And there

was a good reason the Jets brought Jim Leonard in. Leonard had played under Rex Ryan in Baltimore.

He was a very, very smart player. Rex Ryan instituted a complicated defensive scheme. You need a smart safety, smart guy at the back of your defense to help run things.

Leonard was the quarterback of the Jets defense, Rex Ryan's first three years,

which included two trips to the AFC championship game.

...