Steve Wilks could not make it out of his first season in the Meadowlands, as the New York Jets fired the veteran defensive coordinator on Monday.
Cornerbacks coach Chris Harris will take Wilks’ place in the interim.
“I thought last week going into this week, the improvement wasn’t there,” head coach Aaron Glenn said. ” I thought it was time to make a change. I’m going to make the decision that’s best for this organization at all times. It’s my job to continue to evaluate everything that’s going on. That’s my job as the head coach.”
The move came less than 24 hours after Gang Green’s defense was ripped open for 48 points by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday afternoon, in which quarterback Trevor Lawrence went off for six total touchdowns. They allowed 34 in their Week 14 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
Wilks was not given much of a chance to find consistent success in New York. While there was no disputing that his unit underperformed, Jets brass blew it all up last month by trading away its two best players in cornerback Sauce Gardner (Colts) and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams (Cowboys).
Still, the 3-11 Jets are the only team in the NFL without an interception. They have allowed the third-most points and the fourth-most rushing yards.
When asked about tweaking Wilks’ role following Sunday’s game, Glenn said, “I brought Wilks in for a reason. I want him to run his system. We have three games left for our guys to go out there and play.”
