When evaluating NFL coaches, it’s essential to separate them from their players. They shouldn’t be criticized for issues that stem from a lack of talent, nor should they be praised if their unit succeeds primarily due to talent rather than schematics.
Before hooting and hollering for a coach to be fired, we need to present a compelling case that showcases why the coach is a net negative as an individual, regardless of how strong or weak his roster is.
That’s what we’re here to do today with Jets defensive coordinator Steve Wilks.
It goes without saying that Wilks has been dealt a rough hand in terms of talent. The Jets’ defense already had holes entering the season, and the depth chart only became more porous at the halfway point when New York traded its two best defensive players, Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams.
For that reason, it would be foolish to claim Wilks should be canned based on the Jets’ overall defensive rankings. Yes, it’s ugly that the Jets are 27th in points allowed, last in takeaways, and so on, but it is unrealistic to expect much better from them given the talent at their disposal.
That doesn’t mean Wilks is off the hook.
Wilks, like all coaches, can still be evaluated in areas over which he has some degree of control. And based on his performance in those areas, it is clear that the Jets would be wise to consider seeking an upgrade at the defensive coordinator position in 2026.
Three stats prove that Wilks has been a net-negative for the New York Jets in 2025.
1. Blitz frequency and effectiveness
As he did at most of his previous NFL stops, Wilks has employed a blitz-heavy approach in New York. According to FTN Fantasy, the Jets have blitzed on 31.7% of opponent pass plays, ranking ninth-highest in the league.
If you’re going to blitz this often, your blitzes had better be effective. Wilks’ blitzes, though, have been entirely ineffective, to an inexcusable degree for a team that relies on blitzing this heavily.
The Jets have created pressure on just 33.1% of their blitzes, ranking 30th in the league. The only two teams faring worse, Carolina and San Francisco, are in the bottom-10 of blitz rate, so their blitz struggles aren’t nearly as consequential.
New York has the least justifiable blitz rate in the NFL. The Jets are the only team in the league that blitzes on over 30% of their plays despite creating pressure on less than one-third of their blitzes.
Perhaps the Jets believe they have no choice but to blitz frequently due to an unreliable four-man rush. While that is a reasonable hypothesis given the state of the roster, the numbers suggest otherwise. The Jets have actually been much more effective on non-blitz reps, ranking 19th in pressure rate on those plays.
Wilks is not doing an ideal job of playing to the team’s strengths. Blitzing at a top-10 rate isn’t justified when the team is clearly poor at blitzing, especially without the excuse that the four-man rush isn’t any better. The Jets’ defense would likely be more effective if they leaned more heavily toward the four-man rush, where they rank higher in generating pressure.
It is also worth noting that the Jets’ low pressure rate on blitzes ultimately falls on Wilks.
Whether or not a blitz gets home usually comes down to the chess match: did the defensive play call beat the offensive play call, freeing up an unblocked rusher while forcing the quarterback to hold the ball a beat too long?
With an overload of rushers, the schematics take precedence in determining the outcome, rather than the man-to-man execution aspect. This is contrary to four-man rush plays, the results of which are primarily dependent on the players’ execution and have less to do with the scheme or play call.
If your four-man rushes aren’t getting home, it’s probably because your defensive linemen simply aren’t winning, and you need more pass-rush talent. But if your blitzes aren’t getting home, it probably means the coordinator is losing the tactical battle.
Wilks just isn’t fooling opposing offensive coordinators and quarterbacks. Simple as that.
He could have worked around it by dropping the Jets’ blitz rate and leaning into their more effective four-man rush, but he has instead opted to stubbornly stick with the blitz, exacerbating the disastrous situation that stems from his own inability to scheme up effective blitzes.
Failing to scheme around the team’s strengths, ineffective play calling, and stubbornness—that’s three things you never want to see from an NFL coordinator, and we’ve only covered one section out of three.
2. Busted coverages
Ever since Aaron Rodgers returned to MetLife Stadium in the season opener, the Jets’ defense has been busting coverages left and right, and nothing has changed with Christmas just a couple of weeks away.
Jets allowing wide open players allllll year
Play action, TE blocks and releases into the flat
Quincy is no where to be found in the flat
AZ also tries to pass off a crosser to the top that nobody picks up pic.twitter.com/bTbzls61HA
— Joe Blewett (@Joerb31) December 9, 2025
Under Wilks, the back end of New York’s defense has rarely appeared to be on the same page. It is extremely common to see the Jets allow uncontested receptions for big plays. The numbers back it up.
The Jets have allowed 111 receptions to receivers who had at least three yards of separation from the nearest defender, translating to 1,309 yards, 10 touchdowns (second-most), and 66 first downs (fourth-most). Altogether, opposing offenses have generated 98.5 EPA (Expected Points Added) against the Jets on throws to receivers with three-plus yards of separation. That’s the third-worst mark in the NFL, trailing only two notoriously pitiful defenses in Cincinnati and Dallas.
It’s never a good look for the defensive coordinator when his team ranks among the league’s worst in allowing wide-open receptions. It suggests that his players are unprepared for the route concepts they will see each week.
Every defensive call has built-in answers for any route, so if a team is routinely busting coverages, it means the players are not prepared enough to make the proper reads in the heat of the moment. While that could be an individual execution issue that occurs despite the coaching staff trying its hardest to get the team prepared, the coaches are ultimately at fault for any issues related to preparedness. The athlete’s job is to make plays, and the coach’s job is to put them in position to make them.
It’s hardly surprising that the Jets have zero interceptions when there often isn’t a defender within three yards of the guy catching the pass.
3. Undisciplined vs. mobile quarterbacks
Fans often like to point to penalties as an indicator of the “discipline” that a coach has instilled in his team. However, penalties are often an execution issue more than a coaching issue. When a player gets beaten, he holds or interferes, and so on. It’s subjective as to whether coaches play a role in penalties.
What coaches undoubtedly play a large role in, though, is the style of play shown by their team on the field. That’s a product of the way the team practices and game-plans throughout the week.
One of the Jets’ trademark defensive qualities in 2025 has been their lack of discipline. They don’t showcase the sound, team-first fundamentals that are necessary to play good defense. Players are certainly playing hard, but they often don’t play smart. Individuals frequently try to do more than their job calls for, hurting the team.
Nothing sums this up more than the Jets’ issues against quarterback scrambles.
The Jets have allowed 246 rushing yards on quarterback scrambles, the sixth-most in football. They have also yielded 18.9 EPA on those runs, placing fourth-worst.
Whether it’s mishandling their rush lanes or overpursuing against quarterbacks who are known to be active scramblers, the Jets’ defenders don’t play as if they are prepared for the signal-caller in front of them.
Sherwood green dogging the RB (man coverage, blitz if he stays to block).
Decides to rush the same side as Quincy, doesnt contain Allen who steps up for 40 yards 🤮 pic.twitter.com/tC6Pn5G2ny
— Joe Blewett (@Joerb31) September 16, 2025
It’s an issue that lines up with the blown coverages. The same way that New York tends to leave receivers wide-open because the players are not adequately prepared for the offense’s route concepts, they are allowing quarterbacks to scamper for free yards because they aren’t playing with the type of discipline that should be expected against mobile quarterbacks.
The Jets’ defense is unprepared and undisciplined. That falls on the defensive coordinator. Whether the unit consists of 11 All-Pros or 11 UDFA rookies, there is no excuse for the players routinely appearing as if they are unaware of the opposing offense’s strengths.