The New York Jets will already be down one starter heading into Week 11.
Jets head coach Aaron Glenn revealed that rookie cornerback Azareye’h Thomas won’t play against the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football. Thomas suffered a scary head injury in Week 10 against the Cleveland Browns.
“AZ will be out. He is in the concussion protocol, so he will be out this week,” Coach Glenn told the media on Monday, November 10.
The Signs Weren’t Good for Thomas
Thomas suffered some friendly fire during the Week 10 Browns game. Linebacker Jamien Sherwood came across the middle and accidentally collided with Thomas. It was head-to-head contact in mid-air.
The former Florida State product lay motionless on his back for several minutes as medical personnel rushed over to help.
Thankfully, Thomas was eventually able to walk off the field under his own power. However, instead of going into the blue medical tent, he went straight to the locker room to be evaluated. That was a clear sign that this was a more serious situation.
The Jets’ Depth at Cornerback Will Be Tested
Ahead of the Tuesday, November 4, NFL trade deadline, the Jets shipped off two-time first-team All-Pro corner Sauce Gardner.
That created a massive void in the secondary. The Jets turned to Thomas to fill in that spot. An unenviable task for the talented rookie.
Thomas, 21, entered the league as the No. 73 overall pick in the third round of the 2025 NFL draft.
NFL draft analyst Drew Beatty told me on “Boy Green Daily” that he had a first-round grade on Thomas. He explained that the only reason Thomas slipped is because of a slow 40-yard dash time during the pre-draft process.
“This is one of my favorite picks of the entire draft period. Taking him at [pick] 73? He is [the] 25th [ranked] player on my board. He was my corner [No.] 2 behind Travis Hunter. So really, corner [No.] 1, if you see Travis Hunter as a wide receiver. I love Azareye’h Thomas, I think his tape is outstanding,” NFL draft analyst Drew Beatty told me on “Boy Green Daily” back in April.
“In my opinion, the best true corner in this draft fell to them at No. 73 overall. He is such a good press corner. [Thomas] is awesome in press-man coverage, and you see it in the frame. He looks like he has 30-inch arms; he can scratch his ankles standing up. So lanky, massive frame, he is an incredible athlete, [and is] super twitchy.”
“I think he is going to be an outstanding boundary corner for a long time. This is obviously an A [grade] for me, being 25th on my board. One of my favorite picks of the entire draft,” Beatty added.
Next Man Up…
With Thomas out, the Jets need a new starter at corner. The other two starters at corner will be Brandon Stephens and Jarvis Brownlee Jr, keeping their gigs.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini revealed the playing time percentages after Week 10.
The cornerback that got the most reps after Thomas went down was Qwan’tez Stiggers.
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