Can Brandon Stephens Bounce Back in 2025?
The New York Jets went into the 2025 offseason with a hole at the cornerback spot across from former All-Pro Sauce Gardner. D.J. Reed, the starter in 2024, was great for them, but made it very apparent that he was looking for a change of scenery. After he signed with the Detroit Lions in free agency, many fans believed the Jets would look to the draft for their replacement. While they did draft a corner fairly high, taking highly regarded prospect Azareye'h Thomas in the third round, the real big-money replacement ended up coming by way of free agency in former Ravens cornerback Brandon Stephens.
The Stephens signing was a controversial topic for Jets fans. While he is a plus athlete and still in his prime at age 27, many fans believed he was overpaid for what he played like the season before. Stephens was handed a three-year $36 million contract after being arguably one of the leagues’ worst cornerbacks in 2024. While it isn’t top of the line money at the position, it’s still legitimate starter money, something that some fans took issue with, as Stephens was borderline unplayable at times last season.
Despite doubts coming from outside the building, the Jets coaching staff has repeatedly expressed their belief in Stephens. Not only did they give Stephens a legitimate contract, but throughout OTAs and mini-camp, he has been the unquestioned starter opposite Sauce Gardner. This, however, has also resulted in more scrutiny by fans, as there have been reports of Stephens getting beat fairly often during practice. This isn’t cause for too much concern, as these were padless practices in June, but if the struggles persist, the calls for rookie Azareye'h Thomas to take his place will get loud fast.
There is hope that Stephens can get back on track, though. New Jets head coach Aaron Glenn was a former cornerback himself. Meaning if there’s anyone who can help coach up Stephens, it’s him. Glenn has already shown the ability to develop secondary players from his time as defensive coordinator in Detroit. Not long ago, people criticized the Lions for picking Georgia safety Kerby Joseph in the third round, saying that they had overdrafted him. Fast-forward to the present day, and Joseph is one of the best safeties in the league after being coached up by Glenn. Stephens often gets himself into a good position against passes and is there to defend the pass, but has trouble finishing the play. If Glenn and the company can help coach Stephens to fix this issue, he can absolutely turn into a legitimate CB2 for the team.
