Despite posting season-highs in points and rushing yards, the Jets fell to the Raiders Sunday, losing 38-33 at MetLife Stadium. The defense has experienced a sharp decline recently and has played a significant role in the team's three-game losing streak.
After giving up just 95 total points over the first five games, New York has allowed 92 points over the past three. During this stretch, the secondary has been picked apart by opposing quarterbacks, allowing 227.3 passing yards per game, a 64.5% completion rate, eight touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Cornerback Brandon Stephens, who started the season strong, has fallen back into some of his bad habits.
After being penalized just three times last season, the six-year veteran has hurt the defense with costly mistakes, committing five penalties this year, four of which came over the past five games.
Against Las Vegas, Stephens was called for a blatant defensive pass interference on third-and-goal while trying to cover tight end Brock Bowers. This gave the Raiders a new set of downs, and they scored three plays later.
With the Jets dropping to 2-6 and their playoff hopes virtually out of reach, the team could be tempted to explore a trade for Stephens if his penalty problems continue.
Gang Green knew what they were getting themselves into when they signed Stephens to a three-year, $36 million contract in the 2025 offseason. The Texas native had a track record of drawing penalties with the Ravens, committing 19 over his four-year tenure, seven of which came in his final season.
| Season |
Brandon Stephens's penalties |
|---|---|
| 2026 |
5 |
| 2025 |
3 |
| 2024 |
7 |
| 2023 |
5 |
| 2022 |
6 |
| 2021 |
1 |
New York was hoping that, with D.J. Reed, who also had penalty issues, leaving for Detroit, Stephens's physicality and strong play against the run would work well alongside CB1 Sauce Gardner. However, Gardner was traded ahead of the 2025 deadline , and Stephens was tasked with taking his role.
Although he committed just three penalties, Stephens struggled mightily in coverage, allowing 47 receptions (70 targets) for 509 yards and eight touchdowns, tied for the second-most among qualifying corners, per Pro Football Focus.
While Stephens's coverage grade slightly improved from 63 to 65.2 this season, per PFF , allowing just one touchdown across 289 coverage snaps, his run defense has declined from 75.7 to 64, the lowest mark of his career.
Additionally, Stephens's inability to create turnovers has held the secondary back. He's produced just two interceptions, both coming during the 2023 season, and one forced fumble in his career.
Although Stephens was never known for his ball-hawking ability, he often fails to turn his head to locate the football and rarely attacks it when it's in the air. With New York having just one interception and 12 turnovers over the last 25 games, Stephens must do a better job of creating takeaways if he wants to remain in the team's long-term plans .
With the Jets likely to extend their playoff drought to 16 years, it would be wise to move on from Stephens and try to get some value in return. However, I don't believe they should depart from him just yet.
If Gang Green can somehow pull an upset against the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, what's there to lose by trying to keep the current core together and trying to build on that momentum? Given that they have both the Colts and Cowboys first-round selections, they don't have a strong reason to tank like other teams.
And given Stephens's recent struggles, the best the Jets could get for him is a fifth-round, or potentially a fourth-round selection, depending on how desperate a team is for cornerback help.
If New York keeps him but isn't impressed with his performance, they can release him before the 2027 season with a $6 million dead cap hit , per Spotrac .
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/jets/onsi as An Old Brandon Stephens Concern Has Quietly Reemerged for Jets .
