“Mini Aaron Glenn” has been M.I.A. through the first three weeks of his NFL career.
The New York Jets chose Indiana cornerback D’Angelo Ponds with the 50th overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. Ponds was one of the best corners in college football, dominating both in coverage and as a run defender, but his small frame (5-foot-8, 182 pounds, 29⅜-inch arms) prevented teams from trusting him enough to draft him in the first round.
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Because of his skill and aggressiveness at his size, Ponds quickly drew comparisons to the Jets’ head coach, who carved out a successful NFL career of his own as a 5-foot-9, 185-pound Jets cornerback.
Ponds’ first summer in the NFL was marred by a calf injury that he suffered on the first day of training camp. He missed all of camp and the preseason, as well as the Jets’ season opener in Tennessee.
The rookie returned to practice in full ahead of Week 2, but was a healthy scratch for the team’s loss to Green Bay.
Ponds finally debuted in Week 3 against the Detroit Lions. However, the rookie was only on the field for four plays: two defensively, two on special teams.
So, what’s going on with the Jets’ top-50 pick?
D’Angelo Ponds’ role in New York
Clearly, the Jets are taking it slow with Ponds after he was unable to get a full day of practice work in until Week 2 of the regular season.
That’s the wise approach. Cornerback is always one of the most challenging spots for a rookie to step into and play from Day 1, even if they have a full training camp and preseason; there is a reason we always see offenses go after rookies. Take away all of that valuable preparation time, and it becomes a Herculean task.
It makes total sense for the Jets to bring Ponds along slowly. There is little reason to panic about his development yet.
After all, the Jets have not been under pressure to force Ponds into action, as his replacement in the starting slot role, Jarvis Brownlee Jr., has held up well.
The primary asset that Brownlee brings to the table is his tenacious tackling. Through three games, Brownlee has made seven total tackles while not being credited with any missed tackles. He is particularly valuable against the run, earning an 81.2 grade from Pro Football Focus for his play in that phase, ranking 12th out of 83 qualified corners.
In coverage, Brownlee has made a couple of key mistakes, but his overall consistency has been impressive. While he has been tagged for allowing two touchdowns (including the blown coverage on Jahmyr Gibbs’ go-ahead TD in Week 3), Brownlee has only allowed 7-of-13 passing for 42 yards.
With 42 yards allowed on 60 slot coverage snaps, Brownlee is allowing 0.70 yards per slot coverage snap, ranking eighth-best among 31 qualified slot corners.
Brownlee’s solid play has enabled the Jets to be patient with Ponds. They can continue allowing Ponds to develop at his own pace without feeling like it costs the team in the short term.
If Brownlee eventually reverts to the coverage and penalty woes that plagued him last year, Ponds will be waiting as a high-ceiling replacement option, with at least three weeks of practice time to have caught up with the scheme. There will also always be the unfortunate possibility of an injury.
In the meantime, the Jets have begun sprinkling Ponds into the game plan. He played two defensive snaps against the Lions, and they were both in extremely high-leverage spots, coming on two third-down plays in the red zone.
On each of those plays, the Jets pulled out a dime package (6 DBs) against the Lions’ 11 personnel look (1 RB/1 TE/3 WR). Ponds was the sixth DB, replacing LB Jamien Sherwood and lining up with the two every-down safeties (Dane Belton and Andre Cisco), the two every-down boundary corners (Brandon Stephens and Azareye’h Thomas), and the nickel corner, Brownlee.
Quietly, on his very first NFL snap, Ponds prevented a touchdown to facilitate a red-zone stop.
Ponds’ second NFL snap was not as eventful in terms of his involvement, but it was still fascinating to see how the Jets deployed him at a crucial turning point of the game.
Overall, the Jets are taking it slow with Ponds. His opportunity to play a featured role will certainly come in due time, and when it does, the Jets are making sure he will be as prepared as possible.
