Nahshon Wright looked like one of the New York Jets’ more intriguing offseason swings when they brought him in on a one-year deal after his Pro Bowl season in 2025. The attraction was obvious: five interceptions, the most among cornerbacks. But the risk came attached to the price tag, and the Jets only guaranteed him $3.5 million for a reason.
Wright’s 2025 tape came with plenty of turbulence. He gave up 725 yards and seven touchdowns in coverage, numbers that both ranked fifth-most among cornerbacks. He and Washington’s Mike Sainristil were the only two CBs in the league to allow at least 700 yards and seven touchdowns in coverage.
That boom-or-bust profile is part of why Wright has yet to play a defensive snap for the Jets through two weeks.
The bigger issue is that the guys ahead of him have been rolling. According to Pro Football Focus, the Jets’ boundary corner snaps have been almost entirely absorbed by Azareye’h Thomas, who has 102, and Brandon Stephens, who has 97. Jarvis Brownlee Jr. has logged one, and Andre Cisco has one.
Thomas and Stephens have handled the outside work as true every-down players, and they’ve given the Jets no reason to tinker. Thomas, especially, has stood out early.
In the slot, Brownlee has also stepped up while second-round rookie D’Angelo Ponds has been out with a calf injury. Ponds was projected to start there before the injury wiped out his summer.
That’s the heart of it: if the starters are holding up, there’s no real incentive to force a rotation. Wright didn’t exactly seize the moment during camp, either, and a hip injury kept him out for part of the summer, which didn’t help his case.
There’s also the style-of-play concern. The Jets have done a strong job through two games of taking away explosives, allowing only one play of 20-plus yards. That’s the second-best mark in the league, behind only the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, who are the only team not to allow a 20-plus-yard play this season.
Wright can make a play on the ball, no question. Four of his five interceptions last season came from sharp reads and clean breaks on the football, and only one came in a Hail Mary situation. But the problem is what comes with those takeaways: the yards and touchdowns he can give back in coverage.
At the moment, that trade-off doesn’t work for New York. The Jets are allowing a league-low 197 total yards per game, and opponents are converting just 23.8% of their third downs. Thomas and Stephens deserve a lot of the credit for that start, and they’ve made it tough to justify changing anything.
That doesn’t mean Wright is frozen out for good. Injuries happen, and there will likely be a point this season when he gets his chance, maybe even as a starter. For now, though, the Jets are better off keeping Thomas and Stephens on the field.
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