New York Jets Interim Coach Outlines First Priority in New Role

New York Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich told reporters on Tuesday what he sees as his top priority as he takes over the team.

Oct 2, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich on the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Jeff Ulbrich likely harbored a dream of being a head coach one day. The 47-year-old likely didn’t imagine it would happen like this.

Ulbrich is now the interim head coach of the New York Jets after owner Woody Johnson fired Robert Saleh on Tuesday after a 20-36 record in three-plus seasons at the helm.

Saleh is the one that hired Ulbrich as his defensive coordinator when he arrived in 2021. Now, he has 12 games to try and get the Jets (2-3) into the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

He also has just a few days to address what is the highest of priorities — the Jets’ offensive play-calling.

When he met reporters on Tuesday, it sounds like the work was going to start right after he was done with the press conference.

"We're going to take a deep dive on that. We're going to look at all possibilities," he said. He also said they would take a “hard look” at the process.

That may not bode well for offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.

Contrary to some reports, Saleh was not inclined to fire Hackett on Tuesday. SNY reported that Saleh was prepared to demote Hackett and give the play-calling role to Todd Downing, the Jets’ quarterbacks coach and passing coordinator. He has been a OC before, most recently at Tennessee.

Under the umbrella of “all possibilities,” that could be one of them.

Ulbrich has never coached on the offensive side. He was a 10-year NFL veteran at linebacker before moving into a coaching role on defense.

Johnson told reporters that elevating Ulbrich now gives him the chance to get as much out of a team that Johnson called “the most talented we’ve had” during his time in ownership.

"We need to find ways to win,” Johnson said on Tuesday. “We're not going to find those ways doing the same thing over and over and over."

Per SNY, this isn’t the first time the Jets have contemplated a change at play-caller. Last offseason the team reportedly pursued former Atlanta head coach Arthur Smith before he took the offensive coordinator job with Pittsburgh. He’s been instrumental in the turnaround of quarterback Justin Fields, a former first-round pick.

The offense is clearly in a rut. The passing game is averaging 5.9 yards per attempt, fifth-worst in the league. New York is averaging 3.6 yards per carry, third-worst in the NFL. In the past two games the run game has been non-existent. The game plans are, to say the least, simple.

How drastic Ulbrich decides to change things will determine the direction of the rest of the Jets’ season — and perhaps his own coaching career. And he has less than a week to set a course before New York’s next game against Buffalo.