We live in a binary world. There are winners, and there are losers.
Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic labeled a pair of New York Jets cornerbacks, Jarvis Brownlee and Azareye’h Thomas, as big “losers” following an offseason filled with new additions.
“Both Brownlee and Thomas will get a chance to win starting jobs, at nickel and on the boundary, respectively. But the competition got a lot more crowded,” Rosenblatt explained.
“Brandon Stephens is locked into one of the outside starting roles. The job opposite him will be a competition among Thomas, free-agent signee Nahshon Wright, and second-round pick D’Angelo Ponds. Wright had a league-high five interceptions for the Chicago Bears last season, and Ponds was a star on a dominant Indiana defense. Ponds will likely also compete with Brownlee at nickel, though safety Minkah Fitzpatrick might wind up getting the majority of the reps at that spot,” Rosenblatt wrote.
“Both Thomas and Brownlee showed flashes last season but, due to injuries — Thomas played in 12 with five starts, Brownlee played in seven for the Jets — neither put enough on film to lock down starting jobs before the offseason. Brownlee needs to cut back on penalties (he had six with the Jets). If the Jets believed either deserves to be a no-doubt starter, they wouldn’t have invested so heavily in the position this offseason,” Rosenblatt bluntly stated.
Rubber Is Meeting the Road
Thomas, 21, will turn 22 before the start of the 2026 season. Last season, he wore the No. 23 jersey number. This offseason, he changed his jersey number to No. 1.
An interesting choice. Head coach Aaron Glenn admitted last season that one of the reasons they were okay with trading away Sauce Gardner was due to their confidence in Thomas.
He entered the league as the No. 73 overall pick in the third round of the 2025 NFL draft. Draft analyst Drew Beatty told me on “Boy Green Daily” after last year’s draft that he had a first-round grade on Thomas. The only reason he slipped, according to Beatty, was his slow 40-yard dash time during the pre-draft process.
There were high expectations for Thomas on the Jets, but he started the year injured and ended it the same way. Hardly ideal.
Now the competition has increased in the room. It’s put up or shut up. If he doesn’t realize his full potential this offseason, he may continue to fall on the depth chart.
Thomas Breakout Season Looming?
Richie Mollura of Jets Media predicted that Thomas would “break out as a household name on this roster.”
“Nobody is really talking about him … You saw glimpses of what he can become last year when he was on the field. [Thomas’] problem with the Jets was injuries as a rookie. In training camp, he was banged up, which really hindered his development. When he finally got on the field, there was friendly fire between him and Jamien Sherwood that knocked him out with a concussion. So he was very much in and out of the lineup and was very inconsistent as a rookie. Now with a full healthy offseason to train under this coaching staff, I do believe that AZ Thomas has an opportunity to take this outside cornerback position seriously and become a foundational piece in this secondary, and it desperately needs that,” Mollura explained.
To live up to those lofty expectations, Thomas will have to win a starting gig at corner. That journey starts in OTAs at the end of May.
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