Jets Lose Rookie Starter Azareye'h Thomas In Brutal Blow

The New York Jets' secondary has been good this season, even with Sauce Gardner traded away.

Brandon Stephens has stepped into the No. 1 role quite nicely and fortunately, the Jets also have had rookie corner Azareye'h Thomas. Unfortunately, he will not play in another game this season, though. He suffered a shoulder injury against the Miami Dolphins and the Jets announced on Saturday that he is being placed on the Injured Reserve.

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"The Jets have elevated QB Adrian Martinez and DB Tre Brown to the active roster for Sunday's game vs. the Jaguars," The Jets announced. "The club also activated LB Cam Jones from injured reserve and placed rookie CB Azareye'h Thomas on injured reserve...

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New York Jets cornerback Azareye'h Thomas (23) celebrates during a game against the Carolina Panthers at MetLife Stadium, Oct 19, 2025, East Rutherford, NJ, USA. | Yannick Peterhans / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Thomas (6-1, 197), a third-round pick from Florida State who sustained a shoulder injury vs. Miami, appeared in 12 games (5 starts) and tallied 13 tackles and 7 PDs. He had recorded PDs in six consecutive games, the longest current pass defense streak among NFL rookies. It also tied with Darrelle Revis for the second-longest streak by a Jets rookie since 2000."

Brutal news for a promising, young corner. Thomas suffered a shoulder injury against the Dolphins last week. With just four games left to go in the regular season, a stint on the Injured Reserve is season-ending because a player needs to miss a minimum of four games after being placed on it.

The 21-year-old has a bright future with New York. He played in 12 games this season -- including five starts. He moved into the starting lineup on Oct. 26 against the Cincinnati Bengals and didn't look back from there. On the season, Thomas had seven passes defended, 22 total tackles, and held opposing quarterbacks to an impressive 48.1 completion percentage on 27 targets against him. Thomas allowed just 13 catches in coverage for 190 yards and one touchdown.

With Thomas out, expect to see a lot of Qwan'tez Stiggers in the secondary moving forward.

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