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Former Chicago Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright trying to make a play during an NFL game against the San Francisco 49ers.
After 10 OTA practices and two days of mandatory minicamp, it’s already abundantly clear that a New York Jets competition is over.
Or at least that is the perspective of beat reporter Nick Faria of Jets on SI.
“I saw Rich Cimini of ESPN post that there’s an open competition [at cornerback]. I don’t think there’s an open competition, I just don’t. Because the way that Nahshon Wright has played is just so obviously better than every other cornerback that we have seen from the Jets so far,” Faria explained to me on “The Manchild Show with Boy Green Digital.”
“Again, I’ll give credit to Brandon Stephens, who has had a good overall offseason program, but he got beat a couple of times today by Garrett Wilson. It doesn’t matter who Nahshon Wright has gone up against; he hasn’t really been beaten yet to this point. It’s pretty clear to me that this is someone who is going to play and is going to play consistently. He is not someone that you stick on the bench when you have an interception problem, as the Jets have had for the last year,” Faria added.
A Top Standout From Minicamp
“We gotta talk about Nahshon Wright, the free agent corner that was picked up from Chicago. He led the NFL in interceptions from the cornerback position with five last year. He looks the part of a lockdown player. [Wright] only signed a one-year deal; he was a Pro Bowl player last year, so he has to continue to prove that he can be a high-end cornerback in this league. He is off to a great start right now, really blanketing in coverage, always attacking the football where he needs to, and his instincts are pristine,” Faria told me on “The Manchild Show with Boy Green Digital.”
ESPN’s Rich Cimini posted on X, saying it’s an open competition between Wright and second-year cornerback Azareye’h Thomas.
However, Faria doesn’t think it is an open competition. Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic said Wright is the “early favorite” to start opposite Brandon Stephens at corner.
Wright Explains His Pop Year in 2025
A fascinating story.
Wright, 27, will turn 28 during the 2026 season. He was barely hanging on at the NFL level. Everything changed when he signed with the Bears last April. He got an opportunity, and he took full advantage of it.
Wright started in 16 games, recorded five interceptions, had three fumble recoveries, and two forced fumbles.
Before that season, he had only started a total of three games in four years. So what was the secret sauce?
“I think just being on the field. When you’re on the field, it brings confidence, and obviously, when you make plays, it kind of helps with that as well. So I think just being on the field and obviously the coaches trusting in me,” Wright told the media at mandatory minicamp.
The Jets infamously went the entire year without having a pick on defense. Wright was asked how often that drought has been brought up in the room this offseason.
“Honestly, I don’t think it has been brought up at all. I think 2025 was 2025, and we’re trying to turn over a new leaf. We haven’t spoken about it at all,” Wright said.
Paul Esden Jr. covers the New York Jets for Heavy.com. A New York native, he co-hosts a morning show, “The Manchild Show with Boy Green Digital.” Before joining Heavy in 2021, Esden Jr. covered both national and New York sports for FanSided, Elite Sports NY, and The Score 1260. More about Paul Esden Jr.
