Shocking Jets’ CB trade officially puts Brandon Stephens on blast

New York Jets general manager Darren Mougey has shown that he's not afraid to use late Day 3 draft capital to address perceived roster holes, and he continued that trend with another trade on Tuesday.

The Jets have reportedly acquired cornerback Jarvis Brownlee in a trade with the Tennessee Titans, sending a 2026 sixth-round pick to Nashville in return for Brownlee and a 2026 seventh-round pick.

A fifth-round pick of the Titans in the 2024 NFL Draft, Brownlee emerged as a starter for Tennessee early in his rookie season and has started 16 of a possible 19 games since entering the league. This is a young, starting-caliber cornerback in just the second year of his rookie contract.

The move immediately provides a boost to a Jets secondary that has struggled this season and instantly puts incumbent starter Brandon Stephens on notice. Brownlee is likely more than just a depth piece.

The Jets' Jarvis Brownlee trade sends a message to Brandon Stephens

The Jets signed Stephens to a three-year, $36 million contract this offseason with the hope that he can fix the fatal flaws that made him one of the worst cornerbacks in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens.

It was a bold gamble at the time, and through the first three weeks of the season, it hasn't exactly paid off. Stephens has allowed a team-high 11 catches for 104 yards and three touchdowns over the first three games of the year.

Unfortunately, Stephens' contract makes him a difficult player to bench or even move on from, but the Brownlee trade shows that the Jets weren't content with their secondary.

Brownlee posted a respectable 59.4 Pro Football Focus grade as a rookie, playing over 900 defensive snaps. While he did rack up his fair share of penalties (9), Brownlee impressed with his physicality and tackling abilities.

The Louisville product's 77.7 PFF run-defense grade ranked top-10 among all qualified cornerbacks in 2024. His 83.5 PFF run-defense grade currently ranks top-five at his position this season.

At the very least, the Jets acquired a young starting-caliber cornerback with three years of cheap team control for a swap of sixth and seventh-round picks. No matter how you look at it, that's incredible value, and Titans fans don't appear to be very happy about the trade.

Brownlee is currently dealing with an ankle injury that forced him to miss Tennessee's Week 3 game, so it's unclear when he will be healthy enough to make his Jets debut. It also remains to be seen what his role will be when he's cleared.

While he has some experience playing in the slot, Brownlee has primarily been an outside cornerback in the NFL and at Louisville. The Jets also drafted Azareye'h Thomas in the third round of this year's draft, adding another promising young player to the equation.

The Jets might not be ready to bench Stephens outright, but the Brownlee trade clearly puts him — and nickel corner Michael Carter II — on notice. Once again, Mougey makes a high-upside move for a potential defensive building block.

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