The New York Jets’ search for a defensive coordinator remains in progress.

Five of the eight initial candidates are still available, including two of the three candidates who earned second interviews for the role.

The Jets’ defensive coordinator opening is not an attractive job on the surface. With the head coach coming off a 3-14 debut season, the Jets aren’t in a great situation, to put it lightly. Any candidate would understand the risks involved.

That does not mean the Jets are incapable of finding a good coach to fill the role.

They just need to approach the search in a unique way.

The misconception about the Jets’ DC job

There are only 32 defensive coordinator jobs in the NFL. For many up-and-coming coaches, the opportunity to run a defense at the highest level, even in a flawed situation, is too valuable to pass up.

For defensive coaches, becoming a DC and succeeding in that role is the final step before earning legitimate head coaching buzz.

The Jets’ defense was horrific last year; there is no sugarcoating that. They fired their DC during the season and finished the year without an interception, which rewrote the NFL history books, while ranking 31st in DVOA.

Looking ahead, though, New York owns four picks in the top 45 of April’s NFL draft, while the team is projected to own over $90M in cap space this offseason. These are significant assets that can be allocated to beef up the unit.

Also, add in the fact that head coach Aaron Glenn fired seven assistant coaches, including five on the defensive side of the ball. Given the number of vacancies that have opened, the next DC will be able to build his own staff, which is another huge bonus.

The Jets missed out on some coveted DC candidates this cycle, including Jonathan Gannon and Christian Parker. It is also unexpected that they will land Jim Leonhard, a hot commodity around the league who earned an initial interview for the role.

But that doesn’t mean they can’t still land a young coach who is less heralded but understands the modern game.

The Jets must stop thinking about the Wink Martindales of the world and look at a candidate like Ephraim Banda, an up-and-coming coach who may not have the name recognition but could have potential in today’s league that an aging coach like Martindale cannot offer.

That isn’t the worst outcome. What the Jets cannot afford to do is repeat last offseason’s mistake with Steve Wilks, which ended 15 weeks into his first season. The Jets already saw what can happen when they bet on a “proven” coach whose scheme and philosophies no longer fit the modern game. Hiring Martindale would risk falling into that same trap.

Look at the approach Glenn took to hiring his special teams coordinator last year in Chris Banjo.

He wasn’t a highly popular name who had served in the role before. The former New Orleans Saint was two years removed from playing in the NFL, and spent two seasons as an assistant in Denver with the Broncos. Yet, in his first year as a coordinator, the 35-year-old led Gang Green to one of the best special teams seasons of all time.

The Jets may not land the flashiest names in this cycle, but that should encourage them to take a different approach. Prioritizing an up-and-coming defensive mind who understands today’s NFL from a defensive standpoint would represent a meaningful shift in Glenn’s mentality.