By Blessing 
The New York Jets seem to be cooking up a game plan that feels very familiar—especially to fans of the Detroit Lions.
With new leadership under head coach Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand, the Jets are expected to go back to the basics: establishing a powerful run game. The plan? Build the offense around the rushing attack, just like the Lions did in recent seasons.
Running backs Breece Hall, Braelon Allen, and Isaiah Davis will form a three-headed backfield, working behind a newly fortified offensive line. With first-rounders Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou anchoring the tackle positions, the Jets’ O-line looks set to pave the way for a ground-and-pound approach.
The Lions connection is no coincidence. Glenn and Engstrand both came from Detroit’s staff, where they witnessed firsthand how the offense, led by coordinator Ben Johnson, turned into one of the most efficient and exciting units in the NFL. It’s not hard to imagine them trying to replicate that success in New York.
Zach Rosenblatt of The Athletic captured this thought well:
“Glenn brought offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand with him from Detroit, where Engstrand was a crucial part of the creative Lions offense, one of the highest-scoring and most explosive in the NFL,” Rosenblatt wrote.
“That was an offense built around the efficiency of Jared Goff, surrounding him with explosive and productive weapons — a group that the Jets are trying to replicate, in a way, in New York. The idea: Use Breece Hall and Braelon Allen as a pseudo-Jahmyr Gibbs–David Montgomery duo at running back.”
That Lions backfield, featuring Gibbs and Montgomery, was nothing short of electric. Together, they racked up 28 touchdowns and 2,189 yards last season, averaging 149.4 yards per game—third-best in the league. The year before, they combined for 23 touchdowns and nearly 2,000 rushing yards.
That kind of production is a lofty goal, and it’s unlikely the Jets will match those numbers out of the gate. But there’s plenty of reason to believe their trio can still make a major impact. Breece Hall already has the reputation of a difference-maker. If he can stay healthy and consistent, 2025 could be his breakout year. Allen, a bruising downhill runner, showed promise in his rookie season. And Davis, who also had flashes last year, rounds out a group that has the potential to be dangerous—especially with running lanes opened up by the revamped offensive line.
Engstrand may have been Detroit’s passing game coordinator, but that doesn’t mean he lacks insight into the run game that made the Lions so effective. Glenn, too, as the Lions’ former defensive coordinator, had a front-row seat to what worked offensively and what didn’t. Their combined knowledge of that system could prove to be a major asset in reimagining the Jets’ offensive identity.
There’s a sense of cautious optimism surrounding this new approach. Mimicking a top-tier backfield like Gibbs and Montgomery isn’t easy, but even coming close would be a massive improvement for the Jets. And with quarterback Justin Fields under center, a strong run game could be exactly what he needs to thrive.
The concept is simple: ease pressure off Fields by leaning heavily on the run, much like the Lions did with Goff. With Engstrand calling plays and Glenn steering the ship, the Jets may just be setting themselves up for a serious offensive revival—one that starts on the ground.
If the Jets can get even half the production the Lions managed, they’ll be in good shape. As Rosenblatt suggests, the blueprint is there—it’s just a matter of executing it.