The Jets have solved half of their coordinator puzzle, hiring Dolphins pass game coordinator and secondary coach Brian Duker as their new defensive coordinator.
Duker, 36, worked under head coach Aaron Glenn for three years in Detroit while Glenn was the DC there, serving as a defensive assistant in 2021, safeties coach in 2022, and defensive backs coach in 2023 before moving on to Miami. He also was on the same staff as Glenn in 2015 in Cleveland, when he was a defensive intern and Glenn was the assistant secondary and cornerbacks coach.
"During our time in Detroit, Brian consistently demonstrated a high-football acumen and an aggressive approach to defense," Glenn said in the team’s release announcing the hire. "I'm confident that his energy and knowledge of the game will help elevate our players and push this team forward."
Duker’s NFL career began in that 2015 season, and he was a defensive analyst and staff assistant for both the 49ers and Ravens before moving to Detroit.
He began his overall coaching career as a student assistant at Towson in 2009-10. He went on to be a graduate assistant at Bryant University in 2011-12 while earning an MBA, and then was a recruiting assistant and defensive quality control coach at Missouri for two years before moving to the NFL.