Brandon Stephens knows he has things to improve to reach his ceiling with the New York Jets.
As he enters his fifth season in the NFL, he’s placing his trust in New York’s coaching staff to help him make those improvements.
The Jets have completed four training camp practices, and Stephens has been solidifying his spot as the Jets’ starting cornerback opposite Sauce Gardner. Along the way, Stephens is cherishing the opportunity to learn in a classroom led by head coach Aaron Glenn, defensive backs coach Chris Harris, and assistant defensive backs coach Dré Bly.
Between Glenn, Harris, and Bly, there are well over 400 games of NFL experience, which Stephens is excited to draw from.
“What more can you ask for being a corner?” Stephens recently said at training camp. “That is one of the reasons I came here, to learn from guys like AG [Aaron Glenn], coach Bly [Dré Bly], coach Chris [Chris Harris], guys that have been in my shoes and have succeeded in this league, and have something to give to the game. So, it has been great, they have been coaching their tails off since I first got here, and I think it is definitely going to pay off in the long run.”
Harris, a former safety, logged 101 NFL games from 2005 to 2012. An assistant coach since 2013, Harris comes to the Jets after two years as the Tennessee Titans’ defensive pass game coordinator and cornerbacks coach.
Bly played 167 games as an NFL cornerback from 1999 to 2009. He previously served as the Detroit Lions’ cornerback coach under Aaron Glenn in 2023. In 2024, he was a defensive analyst at the University of Charlotte.
The experienced trio of former DBs will be tasked with getting the most out of Stephens, who inked a three-year, $36 million contract with Gang Green this offseason. It was a surprise to many after he struggled with the Baltimore Ravens last year, allowing the second-most yards among cornerbacks.
But the Jets’ coaching staff believes they can get the best out of him.
Stephens, 27, spent the first four seasons of his professional career with the Baltimore Ravens after being selected in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft. Originally entering the league as a safety, Stephens shifted to cornerback in 2022 and gradually carved out a full-time role in Baltimore’s secondary.
By 2023, Stephens had earned the starting job. That year, he appeared in 16 games, recording two interceptions, 11 passes defended, and an 82.4 allowed passer rating (per PFF).
The 2024 season was a step back for Stephens. In 17 games, he dropped to zero interceptions and 10 passes defended, while his allowed passer rating skyrocketed to 107.4. He also surrendered 806 receiving yards (the second-highest total among NFL cornerbacks) and four touchdowns.
Despite the struggles, Stephens’ film shows a player who has the athleticism to stick with receivers. The next step is to solidify his ball skills.
Now working daily with defensive coaches who know what it’s like to be in his shoes, Stephens is focused on patching the holes in his game and solidifying his place in a reshaped Jets secondary.