Feb. 20, 2026, 9:04 a.m. ET

The 2026 NFL offseason has officially begun and the New York Jets will look to improve on a disastrous 3-14 season in Aaron Glenn’s first year as head coach. Glenn recently overhauled his coaching staff and now it’s time to overhaul the roster as he’ll need to show massive improvement in 2026 if he wants to have a job in 2027.

Jets Wire will break down each position on the roster to see if improvements are needed and the possible solutions to fix what is broken. For our first position breakdown, we’ll take a look at cornerback, where the Jets will need to find a major solution to replace Sauce Gardner.

Cornerback Depth Chart

Azareye’h Thomas, Brandon Stephens, Quantez Stiggers, Jarvis Brownlee Jr., Ja’Sir Taylor, Jordan Clark

2025 Review

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The Jets didn’t spend big during free agency last year, but paid a surprisingly high amount for former Ravens Cornerback Brandon Stephens (3 years, $30 million).  Stephens was a mixed bag in his first year, getting off to a rough start but improving during the second half of the season.  He finished with an overall grade of 67, ranking him 40th out of 114 cornerbacks.

GM Darren Mougey tried to fix the secondary during the season by trading for Titans cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr.  It was a deal widely praised by Jets fans and infuriated Titans fans as they only received a sixth-round pick in return. Brownlee played well until suffering a season-ending hip injury in the team’s Week 12 game against the Ravens.

Mougey shocked the league by trading Sauce Gardner at the November deadline, a few months after making him the highest paid cornerback in the league. The Jets received two first-round picks from the Colts and while it was a deal they couldn’t refuse, it left their secondary with a massive hole and opposing teams immediately took advantage of it.

Thomas was the team’s third-round pick last year and while he made some plays, he also had some rookie moments as well. He was shut down for the season after suffering a shoulder injury as a precaution and should be fully healthy for the start of training camp.  Stiggers, Taylor and Clark played sparingly but made little to no impact. 

How Can The Jets Improve This Position?

Free Agency

The Jets will have plenty of cap space with somewhere between $75-$80 million available to spend.  They’ll look to overhaul the defense and improve their entire secondary, which failed to intercept a pass last year.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean is probably the best option available as an unrestricted free agent. Dean has spent his entire career in Tampa and has a nose for forcing turnovers.  He has at least two interceptions in four of his seven seasons with the Bucs. 

2025 was Dean’s best season with three interceptions, a touchdown and a PFF grade of 80.6, ranking him third overall among cornerbacks.   Quarterbacks had a combined passer rating of 46.9 against Dean and he had two forced fumbles, ranking him second among cornerbacks.

Jacksonville’s Greg Newsome and the Rams Roger McCreary are also unrestricted free agents and could be in the Jets price range. There will be other options available as team begin cutting players to free up additional cap space.  It’s widely expected that Glenn will try and bring in former players from his time in Detroit.  Should he attempt to poach players from his former team, cornerback Amik Robertson would make the most sense. 

The 2026 NFL Draft

If the Jets were to look at a cornerback in the draft, it most likely won’t be in the first round.  They currently hold the second overall pick as well as pick #16 thanks to the Gardner trade.  Draft options include LSU’s Mansoor Delane, Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy and Clemson’s Avieon Terrell. All are very talented players, but the Jets need help all over their defense and it’s more likely they focus on the secondary with one of their day two or day three picks.

Way Too Early 2026 Overview

It’s honestly not all doom and gloom with the cornerback situation. After a bad start, Stephens quietly improved over the duration of the season and in his defense, he was forced into the top cornerback spot after the Sauce Gardner deal. Brownlee became the starting slot corner after only two games replacing Michael Carter III, who was a major disappointment and ultimately traded to Philadelphia. Thomas had some rookie moments, but held his own and could improve in his second season with Glenn now calling the plays on defense.

With that being said, Glenn cannot stick with the status quo in the secondary, especially when he’s coaching for his job. He’ll need to leave no stone unturned to find solutions to fix his defense. Robertson seems like an obvious choice as he played for Glenn and new defensive coordinator Brian Duker in Detroit.

But, it also wouldn’t hurt to be aggressive and make a strong play for the top cornerback on the market in Jamel Dean. He would be an instant upgrade to the secondary and send a message that Glenn is serious about winning in 2026. Mougey and Glenn may have to step out of their comfort zone to improve a secondary that helped set a new low for embarrassment that no other defense will most likely ever achieve.