The Premium Position Where Jets Could be Sneaky Good in ’26

When you sit down to do a write up on the pre-camp New York Jets 90-man roster, a few things jump out at you that you may have been aware of before, but never really considered until you take a good long look at it.  And one thing that caught our attention was the number of young, talented cornerbacks with tons of potential suiting up for Aaron Glenn on Sundays.

Since the arrival of Darren Mougey and Aaron Glenn, the Jets have done quite a lot of work at cornerback.  From big money free agency moves to trades and of course, the use of premium draft picks.  Just take a look.

Signed Brandon Stephens:

Stephens exceeded expectations after coming over from the Ravens as a free agent last season.  After allowing over 700 passing yards in Baltimore, fans were a bit unsettled about the corner position.  Then after getting beaten early and often in week 1, giving up two touchdown passes, Stephens got his act together and played surprisingly well the rest of the way.  This is a big year for Stephens to show that last year was no aberration and that he’s put his Baltimore days behind him.

Drafted Azareye’h Thomas (pick 73 in 2025):

While nobody expects Thomas to lock down opposing receivers the way Sauce Gardner did with the Jets, the team was obviously very high on him to go ahead and pull the trigger on the deal that sent Garnder to the Colts for a pair of first round picks and wide receiver AD Mitchell.  If Thomas can do the one thing Garder couldn’t and intercept the football from time to time, that would be a welcome change for the defense.

Following the Gardner deal last season, Thomas played well enough to give fans reason to expect he’ll develop into a quality CB2 at the very least.  If the Jets get him coached up over the next couple of years, don’t be shocked if he ends up being a CB1.

Traded for Jarvis Brownlee:

With Michael Carter II battling injuries in recent years, Darren Mougey went out and added Brownlee to man the slot by sending a late day 3 pick to the Titans.  Brownlee then showed up and did what he does, which isn’t always a good thing.  The young corner is one of the very few true tone setters at nickel in the NFL.  Brownlee attacks and hits like a linebacker, which you love to see.  However, he draws far too many penalties, which you hate to see.

Signed Nahshon Wright:

Wright got a one-year deal from the Jets after intercepting five passes last season.  He’ll battle Thomas for the starting job across from Stephens but may actually be the underdog.  Since Thomas was drafted by this regime and has several years left on his rookie deal, the Jets brass would probably like to see him win the job out of camp with Wright serving as quality depth.

Drafted D’Angelo Ponds (Pick 50 in 2026):

In time, Ponds may end up being the best player in this group.  Chosen with the 50th overall pick in this year’s draft, we expect Ponds to make the Jets do some serious thinking about how they deploy their corners.  He’s got the size that would make you think he belongs in the slot, but the ability to be very good on the boundary.

Retained Qwan’tez Stiggers:

Mougey and Glenn may not have acquired Stiggers, but they did decide to keep the former Joe Douglas draft pick on the roster up to this point.  In looking at how Stiggers ascended a fan-controlled football league, to the CFL and then getting drafted, it’s hard to believe his development is done.  As Stiggers gains experience we still believe he can become a very good corner at the pro level.

Now for every possibility that we think “could happen”, you have to acknowledge that it also “could not” happen.  Nobody knows how this cornerback room will perform, but credit Mougey and the Jets for putting together a room that oozes youth and talent.

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