New OC Tanner Engstrand wants Jets' offense to be explosive

Tanner Engstrand has a clear vision of how the Jets’ offense should play. He wants them to be fast, physical and hunting explosive plays.

Engstrand comes from Detroit, where the Lions finished in the top five in scoring and total yards the past three years with Ben Johnson calling the plays. They were the No. 2 passing offense the last two seasons, and Engstrand was the passing game coordinator.

This will be Engstrand’s first time as an offensive coordinator in the NFL. He was handpicked by Aaron Glenn, the former Lions defensive coordinator. The 42-year-old Engstrand said he’s “100%, absolutely ready” for this opportunity.

Engstrand has nine years of experience as an offensive coordinator at the University of San Diego and in the XFL for the DC Defenders. He will take what he learned working for and with Jim Harbaugh, Pep Hamilton and most recently Johnson as he tries to jump-start a Jets team that has been in the bottom nine in points and total yards for nine consecutive years.

“We want to play fast, we want to be physical, we want to be aggressive,” Engstrand said. “We want to be explosive. We want to be detailed. We want that to show up on tape each and every week.”

It comes down to the personnel, and Engstrand has some talented players in this offense with big-play abilities in Justin Fields, Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall.

“That is a blessing to come into a place and already have weapons in place,” he said.

Engstrand inherited Wilson and Hall. Getting Fields was this coaching staff’s priority in free agency. The Jets expect Fields to become a complete quarterback in their system and beat teams with his arm as well as his legs.

Fields adds an interesting and dynamic wrinkle with his ability to run. The Lions relied on a two-headed rushing attack in David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. The Jets will have a three-headed attack with Hall, Braelon Allen and Fields, who rushed for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns with Chicago in 2022. He is one of only three quarterbacks to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.

“It’s going to be a physical system,” said Scott Turner, the Jets’ new passing game coordinator. “We’re going to run the football. We’re going to be aggressive up front. And then trying to chase explosive plays.

“When you’re running the ball, that’s a way to control the game. But to score, you can’t just go 5 yards. You got to try to get those 20, 25-plus yards. So that’s going to be mostly in the passing game. That’s what we’re going to be hunting.”

This is where Fields will have to continue to develop, but he already has chemistry with Wilson and tight end Jeremy Ruckert from playing together at Ohio State. Fields is focused on learning the offense and getting a grasp of what Engstrand wants.

“Just talking to him, you can just tell he’s really smart,” Fields said. “He knows what he’s doing. I think he’s very detailed with installing the plays and stuff like that, especially in the limited time that we have now. He’s putting a lot on the guys’ plate, our plate, but I think in the long run, it’ll help us.”

Turner, the son of former longtime NFL coach Norv Turner, has been an NFL offensive coordinator previously. This is his first time working with Engstrand. Turner has been impressed with his conviction in how he wants the offense to operate.

“Just extremely organized,” Turner said. “He knows what he wants to do, he’s been around a lot of good coaches, and then he’s kind of putting his spin on it. He’s done a great job of communicating both to the staff and to the players his vision, and he’s going to continue to do that.

“He takes ownership of the offense, and if he makes a mistake, he’s the first one to say something to the players, and I think they appreciate that.”

These are some of the things that Engstrand picked up working with Johnson — who  now is Chicago’s head coach — and is bringing with him to this new challenge.

“Ben is an elite teacher,” Engstrand said. “Really, what you take from that is be clear and concise with the information you’re giving to the players and be detailed. Be the most detailed person at your job that you can be and leave no doubt to the players of what their job is.''

Engstrand’s job is more high-profile and pressure-packed than it was in Detroit, but he’s confident in his vision, his plan and himself.

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.