The New York Jets’ roster has a strong balance of established veterans and young talent, especially on defense.
Veterans like David Onyemata, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Demario Davis are proven commodities in the league, while younger players are still looking to carve out a role and prove their worth.
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The good news is that one of those younger players is looking like he could become a building block for Gang Green’s defense moving forward: 2025 third-round pick Azareye’h Thomas.
AZ Thomas is proving his value
During his rookie campaign in 2025, Thomas played in 12 games and earned five starts down the stretch, passing the eye test despite occasional rookie bumps. However, he missed the season’s final four weeks due to shoulder surgery.
After fully recovering, he delivered a strong showing throughout the summer. Two games into the regular season, Thomas has built upon that promise.
The Florida State product has played 109 snaps, generating seven tackles (one miss), a pressure, four stops, and a pass breakup.
During Sunday’s loss to the Green Bay Packers, he tied for the team lead in defensive snaps (59), logging two tackles (one miss), a stop, and a pass breakup.
Thomas has been a standout in coverage. Against Green Bay, he played 35 coverage snaps and allowed just two of four throws in his direction to be completed for 14 yards. He came away with a PBU and allowed just a 58.3 passer rating when targeted.
After Sunday’s game, Thomas has now recorded a pass defense in eight consecutive games, which is the longest active streak in the NFL. It also ties Aaron Glenn (2001) and Darrelle Revis (2007-08) for the longest streak by a Jets player since 2000, per Jets PR.
That’s pretty impressive for a second-year third-round pick who is still trying to carve out a role in the league. Has he proven to be at the level of Glenn or Revis? No, but the streak shows he consistently gets his hands on the football week after week. For a young third-round CB, that reliability is crucial.
Overall, Thomas has settled into his starting role pretty nicely. He has made tackles near the line of scrimmage and prevented any huge gains over the top, while recording a nice PBU against Green Bay.
The way Aaron Glenn is utilizing him within the defense has also stood out. Glenn has moved Thomas all around the field in a variety of packages, even sending him after Cam Ward on a CB blitz in Week 1.
Now, he hasn’t been perfect—he’s certainly had some mishaps early on. On Sunday, with the Jets holding a 17-7 lead in the fourth quarter, he was flagged for a 38-yard pass interference on a deep throw to Matthew Golden. Green Bay went on to score a touchdown on that drive and cut the Jets’ lead down to three. That was one of the biggest turning points in the game.
Thomas also allowed a touchdown on a slant route in Week 1, although it wasn’t until garbage time.
So, Thomas has areas to clean up, but overall, it’s been a productive start to the year for the 22-year-old. The most encouraging part of his start to the season is that it feels like he is picking up where he left off before last year’s injury, while also being more unlocked in Glenn’s revamped scheme.
That is the type of step young players have to make. Over the rest of the season, Thomas will show whether he can maintain consistency. It’s not by any means a make-or-break year for him, but he has the potential to prove that he can be a legitimate CB1 moving forward, and that would be ideal for the Jets.
Entering the year, cornerback was one of the most uncertain areas on the Jets’ depth chart. If the Jets leave the season knowing Thomas can fill one of the long-term starting spots, it would be a success for the team.
One area where the Jets want to see Thomas step up is taking the ball away. Obviously, the Jets have yet to break their infamous interception drought, which has extended to 19 games. If Thomas could emerge as a ball-hawk, it will raise his ceiling to another level.
The reality, though, is that Thomas is most likely not that type of player. During his three-year NCAA career at Florida State, he logged just two total interceptions in 37 games.
That could change, but Thomas profiles as a long, physical corner who makes a strong snap-to-snap impact and isn’t typically at the top of the league in interceptions. His 6-foot-1½ height ranks in the 84th percentile among cornerbacks, while his 32⅜-inch arm length ranks in the 80th percentile.
That role often gets overlooked. Even if a player isn’t getting INTs, they can still have a huge impact. With strong coverage ability and physicality, Thomas has the potential to be the type of CB who could eliminate key WRs from games, and that’s a very valuable asset.
As the year continues to unfold, we will continue to see what type of player Thomas is and what his ideal role looks like. Limiting big plays will be key for him, but overall, the early returns on his game have been encouraging so far.
