This offseason, the New York Jets signed Pro Bowl Chicago Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright in free agency.
Before breaking out last season, Wright hadn’t started more than two games in a season across the first four years of his career. However, last season he exploded, starting 16 games, finishing with five interceptions, two forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries.
Former NFL scout Bucky Brooks joined me on “Boy Green Daily” and explained why Wright should find success once again in 2026.
“You have to understand Aaron Glenn and Dennis Allen, the defensive cooridator for the Chicago Bears, not only did they work together in New Orleans running the same defense, but they are teammates going back to their college days at Texas A&M,” Brooks revealed to me on the podcast.
“So Aaron Glenn knows exactly what was asked of Nahshon Wright. So he is likely going to ask him to do the same things that he did successfully in Chicago. That is really important backstory when you think about why would he want to go to New York? Why would he play there? It’s going to be the same system, he is going to be asked to do the same things, and he should have a lot of success because they think and view the game in similar lenses,” Brooks added.
The NFL Wasn’t Buying What Wright Was Selling
With only a one-year sample size of success, how was the league going to react to Wright’s arrival in free agency?
“Sometimes, the league sees one surprising season and gives a player a multiyear guarantee. This time, the league mostly dismissed Wright, leading the Jets to pick him up on a one-year deal for just $3.5 million,” ESPN’s Bill Barnwell wrote.
For example, back in February, Insider Greg Auman of NFL on FOX predicted that the Jets would sign Wright on the open market.
However, the only part he got wrong was the money.
“Wright could end up the high-dollar corner in this not-particularly-deep class, drawing $16 million a year or more,” Auman wrote earlier this offseason. Instead, Wright signed a one-year deal with a maximum value of $5.5 million.
One Man’s Trash Is Another Man’s Treasure
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell said the Jets’ adding Wright this offseason was their “best signing.”
“Sometimes, players just need an opportunity. Wright had bounced around with the Cowboys and Vikings and ended up getting a shot to start with the Bears only because of injuries to the players ahead of him. Given the chance, Wright delivered, picking off five passes and earning a Pro Bowl nod. Wright is not a good run defender by any stretch of the imagination, but he showed off solid coverage ability and instincts in 2025 while playing in an aggressive defense,” Barnwell explained.
“Given that Brandon Stephens struggled badly in his first year with the team and coach Aaron Glenn has preferred to play a lot of man coverage behind pressures when his defenses have been working, this team sorely needed help at cornerback. Landing D’Angelo Ponds in the second round and signing Wright on a very team-friendly deal were much-needed additions for Glenn and the Jets, who simply didn’t have CBs they could trust after Sauce Gardner was traded in midseason,” Barnwell added.
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