Azareye'h Thomas must step it up in Jets training camp to secure job

One of the more interesting position battles to watch this summer for the New York Jets will be for the starting cornerback job opposite of Brandon Stephens.

The final competition should boil down to free agent signing Nahshon Wright and 2025 third-round pick Azareye'h Thomas.

2026 second-round draft pick D'Angelo Ponds, Jarvis Brownlee Jr., and Qwan'tez Stiggers may get a look as well, but they're more likely to serve as depth.

The battle between Thomas and Wright will be the one to watch, and it seems like one may already have an edge over the other.

Azareye'h Thomas will need to better this summer if he wants to start

The early reports out of Jets' OTAs indicated that Wright was running with Stephens and the rest of the starting defense, not Thomas, and that likely won't change until the 21-year-old steps up his game.

Wright, despite being a Pro Bowler last season, felt like he was signed as depth. He inked a one-year deal worth up to $5.5 million in March.

There are clearly concerns that he's a one-year wonder. Otherwise, he would have received a much bigger contract on the open market after his breakout five-interception campaign.

But at minimum, he is at least better than Thomas right now. The Jets coaching staff wouldn't be having him practice with the other starters if they didn't think so.

But the former Florida State standout still has time to prove himself, and this summer will be pivotal in deciding who will end up as the starter come Week 1.

Thomas had his moments throughout his rookie season. He wasn't expected to see the field much after the Jets selected him with the 73rd overall pick, but after the team traded away Sauce Gardner, he was thrust into the starting role.

In 12 appearances and five starts, Thomas failed to record an interception (as did every other Jets defender), but managed to break up seven passes.

Pro Football Focus graded him as the 87th-best cornerback in the league among 114 qualified players.

He unfortunately missed the last few games of the season due to a shoulder injury and lost valuable reps that may have helped him out heading into Year 2.

Regardless, Thomas has a shot this summer to put himself back in the starting lineup, but he's going to have to put the work in.

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