Jets adding more Lions flavor to Aaron Glenns staff with Tanner Engstrand as offensive coordinator

Nearly two decades before he coached alongside Aaron Glenn, Tanner Engstrand teamed up with Darren Mougey.It looks like all three men will be together now in key roles for this new era of the Jets, as Glenn is on the verge of hiring Engstrand to be his offensive coordinator, according to multiple Friday reports citing that an agreement is in place.Mougey, the newly hired general manager, met Engstrand in 2004, when both were backup quarterbacks at San Diego State.The starter at the time was Kevin O’Connell — now the head coach of the Vikings.For Glenn — a first-time head coach with a defensive background — offensive coordinator is his most important staff hire.So, it makes sense that he would entrust the job to a familiar face like Engstrand, who was an offensive assistant who worked with tight ends and worked his way to passing game coordinator for the Lions during the four years that Glenn was the team’s defensive coordinator.The Jets were rebuffed by their first choice for offensive coordinator, SNY reported: Rams tight ends coach and pass game coordinator Nick Caley let it be known that he was not interested in the job.Caley is on the same Rams’ staff as former Jets offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, who was pushed out the door after two seasons (2021-22) and blamed for quarterback Zach Wilson’s lack of development.

Wilson’s career remained a disappointment after LaFleur’s exit and the quarterback’s trade to the Broncos.Engstrand’s only offensive coordinator experience came in 2020, when he was with the XFL’s DC Defenders under longtime NFL quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton.Engstrand exclusively had been a college football assistant prior to going to the XFL and had been with the Lions ever since that one-year stint.The Jets only can hope that Engstrand, 42, is able to come close to replicating the success he was just exposed to in Detroit.

The Lions led the NFL in scoring (33.2 points per game) and ranked second in total offense (409.5 ...