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Should Jets Pull Trigger On This Idea To Fix Bad Secondary?

New York's secondary got exposed on Sunday
Colin Keane|
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson breaks a tackle by New York Jets cornerback Brandon Stephens
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson breaks a tackle by New York Jets cornerback Brandon Stephens | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

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New York Jets

The New York Jets showed off some strengths in Sunday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but their secondary was very clearly not one of them. As feared by many Jets fans, no one in New York’s secondary outside of Sauce Gardner looked effective. This is a massive problem for the Jets moving forward if it's not addressed.

Andre Cisco, Tony Adams, and Brandon Stephens each had their difficult moments against Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers. Adams got burned by DK Metcalf on a YAC play in the first half, where Adams could and should have prevented a first down but instead got faked out of his cleats by Metcalf for a 23-yard gain.

Cisco looked out of position on several occasions, and Stephens looked too slow to keep up with virtually any of Pittsburgh’s receivers, forcing him to get handsy on multiple plays. 

Should the Jets sub out Brandon Stephens for Azareye'h Thomas?

Former Florida State defensive back Azareye'h Thomas
Former Florida State defensive back Azareye'h Thomas participates in drills during the 2025 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Stephens’ Week 1 performance was especially disheartening because so many Jets fans and analysts cried, ‘Overpay!’ when New York signed Stephens to a three-year, $36 million deal in March.

The more optimistic of Jets supporters gave GM Darren Mougey the benefit of the doubt about Stephens, thinking that maybe there was some hidden value found in Stephens’ stint with the Baltimore Ravens that the average fan failed to see.

So far, not so good for Stephens (and Mougey) on that front.

Of course, it's only Week 1, but that didn’t stop NBC Sports’ Connor Rogers from suggesting a replacement for Stephens in the hours following Sunday’s loss.

“Azareye’h Thomas might be playing over Stephens earlier than we expected,” Rogers posted.

Thomas, 21, was selected by Mougey with the No. 73 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft out of Florida State. He’s very talented, but obviously inexperienced at the pro level.

You have to think the Jets will give Stephens a few more weeks to sort through things. But don’t expect New York to put up with Stephens for long, especially if he continues looking anything like he did on Sunday. The same thing can be said for Adams and Cisco.

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Colin Keane
COLIN KEANE

Colin Keane is a writer for New York Jets On SI. He graduated from Villanova University with a Major degree in English and a Minor degree in Business. Covering NBA, MLB, NFL and college basketball, he has contributed to various outlets including NESN and FanSided.

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