On Saturday, the New York Jets announced they placed cornerback Azareye’h Thomas on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, ending his rookie season.
Thomas later announced in a post on X that he is slated for surgery.
Selected in the third round of April’s draft, the Florida State product flashed promise throughout his rookie campaign. Over 12 games, including five starts, Thomas recorded at least one pass deflection in six straight games, the longest active streak among rookies at the time and tied with Hall of Famer Darrelle Revis for the second-longest by a Jets rookie since 2000.
That said, the rookie still endured some growing pains. His 55.1 overall grade from Pro Football Focus ranked 81st out of 109 qualified cornerbacks, while his 55.5 coverage grade placed him 80th. PFF credited him with allowing 12 receptions for 177 yards and one touchdown on 25 targets, and discipline proved to be an issue as he was flagged three times.
With Thomas now sidelined for the remainder of the year and nickel cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. also dealing with an injury that is expected to leave him out of action for the final four weeks of the season, the Jets face some real decisions this offseason at cornerback. The central question is whether either player showed enough during their time on the field to justify penciling them in as starters to open next season.
The timing is especially cruel for Thomas, who was building on his performance and could have certainly cemented a starting role for next season in the final four games of the year.
