A familiar face is coming to Ford Field this Sunday.
The New York Jets are heading in to play the Detroit Lions, as each team aims to get to 2-1. It’ll be a homecoming of sorts for Jets head coach Aaron Glenn.
Glenn was the Lions’ defensive coordinator from 2021-24, and a part of Dan Campbell’s regime from the very beginning. He’s a central figure in this franchise’s turnaround from bottom-feeders to a winning team.
Glenn and Campbell’s relationship dates back to when they were teammates on the Dallas Cowboys in 2005. The two Texas natives and Texas A&M Aggies were on the same coaching staff with the New Orleans Saints from 2016-20. Campbell then brought Glenn along with him to Detroit when he became head coach in 2021.
"He told me if he got [a head coaching job], he wanted me to be his coordinator, and I will always remember that," Glenn said of Campbell. "That friendship will always last."
Glenn and Lions converging for a prove-it contest in Week 3
In Detroit, Glenn’s defenses developed a reputation for playing you straight-up. In his last season as Lions defensive coordinator, Detroit ran more man coverage than anybody in the NFL (44.2%). The Lions also were near the top of the league in base personnel.
Those numbers have gone down a bit since Glenn took over in New York, but he’s still leading a hard-nosed unit in 2026.
It looks, at the very least, like a step up from last year’s team that didn’t record an interception.
Campbell said this year’s Jets defense has much more talent and still plays as hard as any Glenn has led.
“All we know is two games worth of what they've shown, what they do,” Campbell said. “But I know enough to know that AG's got a rolodex of looks now, and pressures, he's got it all, and coverage disguises. So we’ve kind of got to be prepared for everything.”
Detroit is also once again facing quarterback Geno Smith, who has quite the reputation for tearing the Lions up at Ford Field. As a Seattle Seahawk, he’s thrown for 1,043 total passing yards, five touchdowns, and no interceptions in three games at Detroit’s home field.
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There’s history on both sides. Lions cornerback D.J. Reed and tight end Tyler Conklin are also going up against their former teams. Former Lion Tim Patrick is on the Jets, but is on injured reserve.
Former Lions coaches Seth Ryan and Steve Heiden are also on Glenn’s staff.
The Jets present a greater challenge than most might expect for this struggling Lions defense. Smith is playing good football so far, and Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall are still very formidable weapons.
Kelvin Sheppard’s unit will have to get right— against the man who mentored him.
“Our players know exactly what's coming in here because [Glenn] was here for [four] years,” Campbell said. “And turn on the tape, and look what just happened last Thursday night.”
Campbell knows this is going to be a fight. He shut down any notion of this Jets team being a plucky underdog.
“This is not going to be a trap game,” Campbell said. “This is going to be a knockout, 60-minute brawl. It's going to go down.”
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