While the New York Jets have had their share of struggles this year, the defense has been the team’s bright spot.
The 5-9 Jets have allowed just 298.4 total yards per game this season, making them one of seven NFL teams to hold opponents to under 300 yards per game.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh has taken note of the defense’s successes and praised defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich on Friday.
Via The Athletic‘s Zack Rosenblatt, Saleh said he’d love to see Ulbrich get an opportunity as head coach.
“He was hired with the thought that he could definitely be a head coach. He’s hit a home run [as Jets defensive coordinator] in my opinion,” Saleh said of the 46-year-old defensive coordinator.
Robert Saleh said he'd love to see Jeff Ulbrich get an opportunity as a head coach.
"He was hired with the thought that he could definitely be a head coach … he's hit a home run (as #Jets DC) in my opinion."
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) December 22, 2023
Ulbrich retired from the NFL after the 2009 season, concluding a nine-year career spent entirely with the San Francisco 49ers. He wasted no time going into coaching, joining the Seattle Seahawks as an assistant special teams coach in 2010 before being hired by the UCLA Bruins in 2012 as a linebackers coach.
Ulbrich left UCLA in 2015 to take on the same role with the Atlanta Falcons, where he really blossomed as a coach. He remained with the Falcons through the 2020 season, a season in which he was named the team’s interim defensive coordinator under interim coach Raheem Morris. In 2021 he joined Saleh with the Jets, where he has remained ever since.
