Jets fans' worst fears about Brandon Stephens came true in Week 1

It's early. It's not the time to overreact. It is way too soon to make rash assertions and jump to conclusions. But it's never too early to tell the truth, and the truth for the New York Jets after Week 1 is that they have a problem. That problem has a name, and it is Brandon Stephens.

We heard the noise all offseason. The Jets needed a cornerback to start opposite Sauce Gardner. They had Michael Carter II, but he's the primary slot corner. They hit the open market to sign their D.J. Reed replacement and successfully landed Brandon Stephens.

Unfortunately, it was abundantly clear almost immediately that the Baltimore Ravens were happier to see him leave than the Jets were happy to see him arrive. That was a horrendous start from the jump.

We all tried to talk around the fears. We all tried to pretend like he wouldn't be getting beaten downfield regularly. We all talked ourselves into the reality that Aaron Glenn can turn around any defensive back's career. But after just one week of football, the truth has slapped us right in the face — Stephens is a liability.

The Jets might be in serious trouble on defense with Brandon Stephens

It hurt watching Aaron Rodgers pick apart the defense. Every time a ball catapulted into the middle of the field, right into the chest of a wide-open Steelers defender, it felt like a dagger to the heart.

The culprit for allowing so many easy completions was often Stephens. This isn't just a feeling from a bitter Jets fan (granted, it is also that), but a fact backed up by evidence.

On Sunday, Stephens was targeted seven times and allowed five completions for 60 yards. More importantly, he allowed two touchdowns. Based on the numbers and the eye test, he was doing more getting beaten than he was actually covering.

Rodgers consistently targeted Stephens, going back to the well again and again. This should be a concern to everyone, including Glenn. His postgame words said otherwise, however, when asked about Stephens' performance.

"Brandon has been doing a really good job in coverage throughout training camp. What we have to work on with him is finishing and locating the ball. As the season progresses, I believe he'll be able to make those plays."

Aaron Glenn

There are two glaring issues with Glenn’s statement that stand out. First, the idea that a veteran quarterback will “improve his finishing and ball location as the season progresses” raises the obvious question: how much time can the Jets afford to wait?

If these struggles continue, the season could be lost before that improvement ever comes. Second, it’s troubling to hear that a seasoned player still needs to work on fundamentals. At this stage, if ball location remains a weakness, it’s hard to expect a sudden turnaround.

A big part of the problem is that he will be targeted constantly, even if he improves. His counterpart just so happens to be the best cornerback in football, Sauce Gardner. On Sunday, Rodgers only targeted Gardner four times and allowed just one completion for 11 yards. He won't be able to hide from anyone, so he has to figure it out quickly.

I'm going to refrain from calling on Glenn to bench Stephens just yet. Every bone in my body, and every thought in the caveman sports fan side of my brain, wants to do that, but I need to see at least one more week.

I think rookie out of Florida State, Azareye'h Thomas, has some serious potential, but he hasn't proven anything yet. I can't say whether he'd be a step up. And I don't think anyone is pining for more snaps for Qwan'tez Stiggers.

So let's all take a deep breath and wait for Sunday against the Bills. Stephens will have quite the test with Josh Allen coming to town (oh boy). I have a feeling we're either going to walk away from the game slightly surprised that Stephens held his own, or positive that anyone (literally, anyone) is worth throwing out there instead.

Because if this keeps up, the defense is going to fall into the bottom half of the league real quick.

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