Among the chief positive points surrounding the 2026 Jets season has been their dominant rookie class . All three first-round picks have stood out in some way and have received rookie of the week honors from the NFL.
Even fourth-round defensive tackle Darrell Jackson Jr. has enjoyed a positive start to his NFL career .
There's one member of the class, though, that has yet to stand out.
Second-round cornerback D'Angelo Ponds missed all of training camp and the first quarter of the season with an injury. After battling back, he received his first NFL start in Week 7 against the Dolphins.
Despite the positive tape, Ponds was sent to the bench last week in New York's loss to Las Vegas . So what gives? What will it take for the Jets to turn to Ponds going forward?
Against the Dolphins in Week 7, Ponds was targeted three times and gave up one reception for five yards. He was, however, called for a pass interference penalty in the end zone that gave the Dolphins an inevitable score.
But by and large, the first start of Ponds's career was a good one. It showed he could be a quality player in the slot. With more reps, the belief was that the Indiana product would be even better.
D'Angelo Ponds's performance against the Dolphins in Week 7 was solid, but he didn't have much chance to build on it a week later. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Then Week 8 happened.
Ponds was effectively benched by the Jets in their loss to the Raiders and played just a single defensive snap. In his stead, Jarvis Brownlee Jr. got the start in the slot and was penalized twice while also giving up three catches on four targets, a touchdown, and a near-perfect passer rating.
So what gives? Why would the Jets move back to Brownlee in a clear lost season at 2-6? The reality is that the team still wants to win for their coaching staff and head coach Aaron Glenn believes that Brownlee gives them the best chance to be successful on the field.
Never mind the fact that Brownlee acknowledged he was late to multiple meetings and was benched in Week 7; this is only about what he can do on the field.
But now, with the team at 2-6 and needing to see what they have in their young talent, change may be coming.
Don't be surprised if the Jets look to move off of Brownlee in some capacity as the trade deadline gets closer. Ponds will eventually see the field more and more, but Brownlee is seen as a stopgap to that chance.
Once the team is firmly out of any hope of a .500 season ( something that would keep Glenn's job at any rate ), the focus must shift back to getting their rookie class as many reps as possible. That includes putting Ponds both in the slot and in the boundary-where he made his living as one of the best corners in college despite his small frame.
Ponds will eventually be a starter for the Jets. The longer the team waits, though, the more worrisome it is that they might have wasted a top second-round selection. They are better off playing him and moving on from Brownlee altogether.
Get Jets On SI straight to your inbox: sign up for our free newsletter here.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/jets/onsi as Making Sense of Jets' D'Angelo Ponds Plans as Questions Brew in Week 9 .
