RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 5 sourcesTraining camp began this week for the New York Jets and there is plenty of optimism surrounding the team in 2026. By most accounts, the team had a terrific offseason adding quality veterans with familiarity playing for head coach Aaron Glenn and also set themselves up for a nice future with their 2026 NFL draft class at key positions.
Jets Wire will do a position by position breakdown giving some insight into the team’s current depth chart, taking a look at key position battles and a player who has plenty to prove this upcoming season.
We’ll begin on the defense and focus on the cornerback position, which played a major role in the team's inability to force an interception last year, but also performed better than expected after arguably their best player was traded at the deadline.
Current Depth Chart
Brandon Stephens, D’Angelo Ponds, Nahshon Wright, Azareye'h Thomas, Jarvis Brownlee Jr., Quantez Stiggers
2025 Recap
Before the start of last season, GM Darren Mougey made Sauce Gardner one of the highest paid cornerbacks in the league in a sign he wanted to keep the team’s homegrown players in the fold for the long haul. And then, the Indianapolis Colts made Mougey an offer he couldn’t refuse, and Gardner was traded for two first-round picks in a stunning deadline deal that blindsided not only Jets fans, but the entire league.
The Jets didn’t make too many big moves during the 2025 offseason but did sign Stephens to a three-year deal worth $30 million. It was a bit of a head-scratcher as Stephens was rather unimpressive in his final season with the Baltimore Ravens. During the beginning of last season, Stephens struggled and was a major liability in coverage, making that contract look outright awful. But, he played much better as the season progressed and stabilized the CB1 position after the Gardner deal.
Thomas was the team’s 2025 third-round pick and showed flashes of his big play potential while also having some rookie moments as well. He was credited with three pass break-ups and allowed a combined passer rating of 84.9 to opposing quarterbacks, which isn't bad for a rookie. He suffered a season-ending shoulder injury after 12 games. Thomas will look to build on his first year as he'll compete for the starting job opposite Stephens.
Brownlee was acquired during the beginning of last season from the Tennessee Titans after Michael Carter II struggled badly as the starting slot corner. He played well, but had issues with penalties, which was a big reason why Tennessee ultimately traded him. Brownlee will need to be a more disciplined player if he wants to remain the team’s starting slot corner. Stiggers didn’t see much action on defense but remains a key player to the Jets special teams and it's unlikely he'll play a role in the secondary unless the team's depth takes a big hit.
The New Faces
The Jets added two new pieces to their cornerback room, signing former Chicago Bears defender Nahshon Wright and selecting Indiana corner D’Angelo Ponds with their second-round pick in this year’s draft. Wright has a nose for the football, grabbing five interceptions with the Bears last year, which was tied for tops in the league. He’s good against the run and had 65 solo tackles last year, ranking him ninth overall in the league among cornerbacks.
Ponds was terrific in his final year with the Hoosiers and his attributes as well as his size remind everyone of his new head coach in Glenn. He only had one interception last year, but was excellent in coverage, finishing with a PFF grade of 89.7, ranking him seventh overall. Ponds also allowed a combined passer rating of 42.0 from opposing quarterbacks and only surrendered 18 receptions to opposing receivers.
Key Position Battle
D’Angelo Ponds vs. Jarvis Brownlee Jr.
This should be a very interesting competition between the rookie and the incumbent. The Jets are very high on Ponds and excited to see what he can do. Not only does he have a solid chance to be the team’s starting slot cornerback, but, a strong camp as well as a strong preseason could make him a favorite to start opposite Stephens on the outside.
Brownlee is returning from injury and in all fairness hasn’t done much to warrant losing the job. He stepped in after Carter struggled and played well with his physicality as well as his tackling. But, he’s also a walking pass interference penalty (10 penalties last season) waiting to happen and that could be what costs him the starting job over Ponds.
Player With Plenty to Prove
Nahshon Wright
The easy answer to this section is Thomas, who will need to take a step forward in his second season to warrant consideration for a starting job in 2027. But, for a defense that didn’t force an interception last season, expectations will be high for Wright, who led the league last year with five for an opportunistic Bears defense. Wright is only under contract for this season with the Jets so he'll be playing for a big contract in 2027 when he's an unrestricted free agent. Needless to say, he has plenty at stake in 2026.
After the season Wright had in Chicago, it was a bit surprising that the Bears let him leave as a free agent. It was also surprising that the best offer he could get was a team friendly deal with the Jets. Wright will be under a tremendous amount of pressure to break the interception drought for the Jets defense immediately.
Has This Unit Improved?
In all fairness, this was a unit that only forced four turnovers and had a brutal takeaway differential of -19. The Washington Commanders were second worst at -13. That's a level of bad defense is flat out inexcusable. Needless to say, the bar is very low for this defense to clear in 2026 compared to how awful they were in 2025.
Gardner is gone, but Stephens stepped up and filled in admirab...
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