Jets $36 Million Man Raising Eyebrows In Camp

The New York Jets have had just a few days of practice so far, but a lot already has gotten done.

There was a scare on Thursday with Justin Fields going down with a toe injury, but after an initial scare, it was shared that he is day-to-day and is expected to be alright. That was the big story of the day on Thursday, but there was other positive news. ESPN's Rich Cimini shared that cornerback Brandon Stephens has been an early standout in training camp.

"Justin Fields' toe-injury scare overshadowed everything, including a superb performance by the defense," Cimini said. "One of the standouts was cornerback Brandon Stephens, who did a nice job in coverage on wide receiver Garrett Wilson. Afterward, he received some lofty praise from coach Aaron Glenn, who said, 'I'm excited about that player.'

"Eyebrows were raised in free agency when the Jets gave a three-year, $36 million contract to Stephens, who was the weak link last season in the Baltimore Ravens' secondary. Stephens is slated to start opposite Sauce Gardner, which means he probably will get picked on. Nevertheless, the Jets like his size (6-foot-1) and tenacity. He still needs to sharpen his ball skills, according to Glenn."

It's been a small sample size, of course, but it's still positive nonetheless. Stephens signed a three-year, $36 million deal with New York this offseason to replace DJ Reed and the move surprised some. If the Jets' defense is going to turn around in 2025, they will need Stephens to shine opposite of Sauce Gardner. It sounds like a good start, but there's a lot of camp left.