Veterans Coach Wink Martindale & Former Player Jim Leonhard Among the Candidates

Eric Allen

The Jets completed seven interviews this week for the club's defensive coordinator position. The first round of interviews, which were conducted over Zoom, were completed with the following candidates: Mathieu Araujo, Ephraim Banda, DeMarcus Covington, Daronte Jones, Jim Leonhard, Wink Martindale and Jim O'Neil.

Araujohas spent the four seasons with the Dolphins after coaching seven years in the college ranks. He joined Miami as an assistant defensive backs coach in 2022 and was promoted to CB coach in 2024. In 2024, Miami finished fourth in total defense (314.4 yds/g) after ranking 10th overall in 2023 (318.3 yds/g). An East Freetown, MA native, Araujo played DB at Bridgewater State and started his coaching trek at Maine Maritime Academy in 2015 as WR/RB coach. A graduate assistant at Springfield College in 2016, Araujo spent two seasons at Boston College (2017-18) before moving to Yale in 2019. In three seasons (2019-21) at Yale, Araujo was the defensive backs coach (2019-21) and recruiting coordinator (2020-21).

Banda(44) coached the Browns' safeties from 2023-25. Cleveland ranked No. 3 against the pass (167.2 yds/g) this past season and was the only NFL team not to allow a 300-yard passer in 2024 as S Grant Delpit led the club with a career-high 108 tackles. Banda, who was the defensive coordinator for the American team in the 2024 Senior Bowl, began his coaching career as a student assistant at Incarnate Word in 2011. He was a defensive graduate assistant coach at Texas from 2012-14 and a defensive assistant at Mississippi State in 2015. Then Banda coached safeties at the University of Miami from 2016-18 before adding co-defensive coordinator duties for the 'Canes in 2019-20. At Utah State, he was the assistant head coach/defensive coordinator/safeties coach in 2021-22. The Aggies ranked second in the NCAA with 114 TFL in 2021 and ninth with 94 TFL in 2022.

Covington(36) was hired as the Packers' DL coach/run game coordinator last February after spending eight seasons with the New England Patriots (2017-24) including one as DC in 2024. In his six seasons with New England as a position coach or coordinator (2019-24), Covington was part of a defensive staff that helped the Pats rank No. 3 in the league over that span in total defense (317.9 ypg) and passing defense (204.4 ypg) and No. 2 in interceptions (102), INT percentage (3.1), yards allowed per play (5.1), first downs allowed per game (18.8) and third-down percentage (37.0). Prior to joining the Patriots, Covington coached collegiately at Eastern Illinois (2016), UT Martin (2015), Ole Miss (2013-14) and UAB (2012). A Birmingham, AL native, Convington played WR at Samford University from 2007-10, hauling in 62 receptions for 586 yards (9.5 avg.) and 2 TDs.

Jones(47) just completed his fifth season with the Minnesota Vikings as defensive back coach and third as passing game coordinator. This past season, Minnesota finished No. 2 against the pass (159.5 yds/g), No. 3 overall (282.6 yds/g) and T10 in takeaways (21). In the 2024-25 campaign, the Vikings led the NFL in interceptions (24), pass defenses (95) and INTs per attempt (3.8%) as Minnesota tied for the league high in takeaways (33). Jones, a Capitol Heights, MD native, played four seasons at Morgan State in Baltimore and coached at several levels of football before serving as the Miami Dolphins' assistant defensive back coach (2016-17) and the CB coach of the Cincinnati Bengals (2018-19).

Leonhard(43) is in his second season with the Denver Broncos and first as defensive pass game coordinator/assistant head coach. Denver fielded on of the NFL's best defenses this season, ranking No. 1 in both yds/play (4.46) and pass yards/play (5.37). In 2024, the Broncos allowed the sixth-fewest passing touchdowns (22), TD to INT ratio (1.5) and passer rating against (86.2). Leonard, a highly accomplished coach at the collegiate level from 2016-23 at Wisconsin and Illinois, played 10 seasons in the NFL at safety and was a pivotal piece on the Jets' elite defense from 2009-11. He started 40 games for the Green & White in regular season action, totaling 184 tackles, 3 INTs and 15 PDs. In four postseason contests with the Jets, Leonhard recorded 14 tackles, 2 PDs, 2 FF, 1 FR and 1 sack.

Martindale(65), the University of Michigan's defensive coordinator in 2024-25, has more than two decades of NFL coaching experience. He coordinator the defense at three different stops worked with four franchises over a 20-year career in the league: New York Giants (2022-23), Baltimore Ravens (2012-21), Denver Broncos (2009-10) and Oakland Raiders (2004-09). Martindale held the DC post with Denver in 2010, Baltimore (2018-21), and spent two years calling signals for the Giants (2022-23).

O'Neil(47) just completed his second season with the Lions after adding safeties to his defensive assistant title in 2025. He worked under Glenn when the latter served as the Lions' DC in 2024 as S Kirby Joseph registered an NFL-high 9 INTs and Brian Branch earned First-Team AP All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors. That Detroit defense tied for second-fewest passing TDs allowed (18) and the lowest opposition passer rating (82.0). Prior to joining the Lions, O'Neil was Northwestern's defensive coordinator for two seasons (2021-22) and spent three seasons with the Raiders (2018-20). He was the San Francisco 49ers DC in 2016 and served in the same capacity with the Cleveland Browns in 2014-15. A three-year starter as a DL at Towson from 1998-2000, O'Neil spent eight years coaching on the college level before jumping to the NFL with the Jets from 2009 -12. A defensive quality control coach in 2009, he was the Green & White's assistant DB coach for three seasons. In those four seasons, the Jets defense combined to rank first in the NFL in opponent passer rating (71.0), completion percentage (52.6) and passing yards per game (186.3).

The DC candidate list will shorten for in-person interviews, which will happen in the near future. Last week, Jets HC Aaron Glenn addressed what qualities he will be looking for in his defensive coordinator.

"Compatibility is just as important as coachability," Glenn said at the team's season-ending news conference. "So, I want to make sure we see things the same way and I want to make sure that we can vibe as far as sitting down and talking about how we see football."