Fresh off a humiliating 28-25 loss to the previously winless Dolphins on Sunday, the Jets find themselves at 2-5 as they continue to struggle to put positive results together with a much-improved roster on paper.
In that loss alone, the Jets had a 100-yard rusher, a 100-yard receiver, a defense that surrendered just seven second-half points and a quarterback who went for 287 yards and three touchdowns. That ultimately did not matter in a rock-bottom performance that featured another poorly executed game plan from the coaching staff.
While head coach Aaron Glenn deserves much of the blame for his continued struggles with game management, it is still up to the players on the field to do their part and make a strong impression.
Now in his second season with Gang Green, cornerback Brandon Stephens is one of those examples: he's someone who is exceptional against the run and versatile at multiple positions, but has struggled to create turnovers in his career.
In his last four games alone, Stephens has allowed opposing QBs to go 11-of-16 (68.8%) for 167 yards and a TD when targeted, which is good for an average of 15.2 yards per catch. For reference, he only allowed seven completions on 13 targets for 78 yards (11.1 yards per catch) in his first three games.
With a career average of 12.1 yards per catch allowed, that is not exactly the type of performance he needs to be displaying in Year 2 of a three-year contract.
It's safe to say, Stephens needs to step up—and soon.
Jets need to see more from Brandon Stephens moving forward
To his credit, Stephens does have three broken-up passes in the last four games, but he has also failed to come away with a single interception this season and none at all since he recorded the only two picks of his career in 2023 with the Ravens.
Sure, the Jets have only one interception as a team this season (Minkah Fitzpatrick), so it is not like Stephens is alone in that regard. This was also a defense that gave up 28 points to a team that hadn't led this season and couldn't stop the run if it tried, in a disappointing all-around performance by the entire group against the Dolphins.
That said, a lot more is expected from Stephens as a starting corner alongside Azareye'h Thomas. For comparison, Thomas has 33 tackles, two tackles for loss and five passes defended. Stephens, meanwhile, has 19 tackles, one tackle for loss, six passes defended and one fumble recovery in the same number of games.
While a player's success is not solely determined by those respective stats, there is clearly some room for improvement for a starting corner with the talent that Stephens possesses. According to Pro Football Focus, Stephens has the 38th-ranked overall grade (65.1), as well as the 27th-ranked coverage grade (68.1) and 53rd-ranked run-defense grade (61.8) out of 103 qualified CBs.
That is an indication of the potential that Stephens brings, but it has not been enough as of late with the Jets facing an uphill climb the rest of the season.
He is still under contract with a $14 million cap hit in 2027, per Spotrac, but the Jets have a $12 million out in the offseason that they can use if they feel he hasn't done enough to justify keeping him at that cap hit for his final year. Adding that to the over $96.8 million that New York is projected to have would help general manager Darren Mougey be one of the most powerful spenders in March.
What does Brandon Stephens need to do moving forward to remain with Gang Green?
Along with his durability and run-defense skills, Stephens has shown flashes of high-level play in heavy man-coverage schemes throughout his career, but he has mostly been inconsistent when he is isolated without any safety help. That said, he has the prototypical size (6'1", 215 lbs) for his position and the athletic traits suited for press-man when those opportunities arise.
While Fitzpatrick has the team's lone interception this season and safety Dane Belton has proved to be the best offseason signing with a team-high 56 tackles, the rest of the secondary has not really stood out on a consistent basis. Even Jarvis Brownlee Jr., who has been a bright spot for the defense but was a healthy scratch in Week 7, ranks lower than Stephens in overall grade (60.3), coverage grade (63.1) and run-defense grade (58.2) from PFF.
That alone should not measure a player's success, but it does show things could be a lot worse for Stephens.
With that in mind, he will likely get more opportunities coming his way against the Raiders' sixth-ranked scoring attack (26.1 ppg) on Sunday. If Stephens cannot figure out how to create some turnovers and get more consistent stops, he may not be around Gotham much longer.
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