The Jets aren’t strangers to discipline talks. Under Robert Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich, the message was there, but the execution? Nowhere close. They reportedly racked up more penalty yardage than any team in the league, suffering 1134 yards on penalties during a brutal 5-12 run in 2024. In fact, in five wins, they averaged eight penalties and 71 yards per game. And in 12 losses, the team averaged eight penalties and 65 penalty yards. All these messes put the spotlight squarely on Aaron Glenn the moment he stepped in. Now, he wants a change.

Glenn has taken drastic steps at Florham Park. He’s literally brought referees into every training camp practice, trying to break the cycle. The results? Still a work in progress. “We started the day with too many penalties,” Glenn said on August 1, while noting the practice was largely positive. “Those are pre-snap penalties. You guys have heard me talk about that. I’m gonna hone in on that. I told the guys, ‘Yes, take it personal, when I get mad at you in that situation because those things lose us games, which I already talked about,’ and the guys understand that.” The message is loud and clear: no excuses, no shortcuts.

Meanwhile, the players themselves admit they dropped the ball under the last regime. “Our last coaches preached discipline,” safety Tony Adams said. “And we weren’t listening. We didn’t take heed to what they were saying.” That’s a pretty raw admission, but it also explains a lot. Adams, one of Glenn’s offseason pickups, is already being viewed as a piece who can reset the tone in the secondary.

At the same time, Adams’ story is interesting because he’s been steady for years. Back in the Saleh days, he earned PFF grades in the high 60s while staying under the radar. Sure, some fans grumbled he looked better in camp than in games, but the truth is he wasn’t fully unleashed. Glenn’s scheme could finally give him the platform to show what he’s really about.

Finally, Glenn’s philosophy itself is a complete shift from what Jets fans saw before. Saleh leaned on his corners in quarter defense versus trips formations while the safeties played it safe. Since arriving in Detroit, Glenn has built his defense around two aggressive safeties who can cover ground and make plays, freeing up the corners to focus only on shutting down receivers. Adams isn’t Kerby Joseph or Brian Branch, but his instincts and speed on the back end have the chance to show up on tape with Glenn at the helm. And yet, Glenn’s not just banking on the secondary—he’s also turning his attention to bolstering the defensive line.

Aaron Glenn attempts to bolster the defensive line with two trades

On Wednesday, Gang Green swung two trades to shake things up. First came a deal with the Browns to bring in Jowon Briggs, along with a 2026 seventh-rounder in exchange for a 2026 sixth-rounder. And soon after, ESPN’s Adam Schefter dropped that the Jets were finalizing another move, landing Harrison Phillips from the Vikings. In return, New York will ship a pair of sixth-round picks, one in 2026 and another in 2027, and get a 2027 seventh back.

Now, Phillips is clearly the big fish here. We all know that the Jets were not able to stop the run last season, but by bringing in Phillips, he can provide the Jets with another stout run-stopping defender. At 29, he’s a seven-year veteran who never missed a start in his three years in Minnesota. Over that stretch, he racked up 207 tackles, 6.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss, seven pass breakups, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. That level of production was a leap from his Buffalo days, where he managed just 11 starts in four years.

Moreover, 2023 turned out to be his best season yet. He piled up 92 stops, setting a career-high that showed why he still has gas in the tank. A former Stanford standout and third-rounder, Phillips brings experience and consistency. Briggs, meanwhile, is more of a long-term project, helping in the team’s depth. The 23-year-old saw action in six games for the Browns last season, logging 13 tackles, one for loss, and a fumble recovery after entering the league as a seventh-round pick.

And of course, Glenn’s push makes sense. The Jets’ defensive front finished 17th against the run last year, with Quinnen Williams carrying most of the weight. However, he too faced a difficult year, failing to mark his Pro Bowl season for the first time in three years. Add in Rashad Weaver landing on season-ending IR, Bump Cooper being waived/injured, and Phidarian Mathis getting released, and depth became an urgent issue.

So, yes, Phillips has a real shot to line up next to Williams right away, especially with two years left on his $15 million deal. Briggs, on the other hand, comes cheap at $960,000 in 2025 and should slot in as a depth piece. Now it’s on Aaron Glenn to figure out how to roll out his revamped line when Week 1 kicks off.