Some much-needed reinforcements.
For the first time since the beginning of training camp, New York Jets rookie cornerback D’Angelo Ponds was a full participant in practice.
“He should be good to go [for the Week 2 Green Bay Packers game],” Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic posted on X.
Ponds hurt his calf at the beginning of training camp and has been mostly MIA since. This past week, Ponds returned to practice on a limited basis.
On Friday, September 11, the Jets listed Ponds as “doubtful” for the season opener.
“(D’Angelo) Ponds. Ponds, I love where he’s at when it comes to his physical, but man, just the part of him that getting as much reps as he can, he’ll be doubtful when it comes to that,” Glenn explained last week.
Should Be Able to Ease Him In
Ponds was likely going to compete for a starting gig in training camp. That plan had to change when the talented rookie missed the majority of training camp.
So instead of Jarvis Brownlee Jr being involved in a competition, he was handed a starting job on a silver platter. In Week 1, he got to face off against his old team, and he made the most of it.
“[Brownlee finished with a] 82.4 PFF grade (highest on the Jets defense, [a] 78.4 PFF run defense grade (highest on the Jets defense), [and a] 82.0 PFF coverage grade (highest on the Jets defense),” Justin Fried of The Jets Press posted.
“He had four tackles (0 missed), two run stops, he was targeted four times, and allowed two receptions for eight receiving yards,” Fried revealed.
In the middle of the game, he was carted off the field with a calf injury, but he returned shortly thereafter and delivered a dominant performance.
Brownlee is now dealing with a shoulder issue, but he was a full participant in practice for the first two days before the Packers game.
In other words, Brownlee should also be good to go for Week 2. That means the Jets could keep him as a starter and then rotate Ponds in a situational role.
It’s Going to Take Some Time
The Jets’ plan is to work Ponds in the slot. The only problem is, he was a boundary corner in college.
“A two-year starter at Indiana (and three-year starter overall), Ponds was an outside cornerback in defensive coordinator Bryant Haines’ zone-heavy scheme. Indiana added some man looks specifically for Ponds, who prefers the boundary, where he can press and play one-on-one,” Dane Brugler of The Athletic wrote in The Beast.
To throw him in as a full-time starter in the slot would feel like a mistake from the get-go. However, if you slowly build up his confidence and his reps throughout the season, perhaps you can get there at some point in 2026.
Ponds, 21, is listed at 5-foot-9 and weighs 182 pounds. He was the No. 50 overall pick in the second round of April’s draft.
The Jets have more questions than answers in the secondary. Ponds is a promising prospect who projects as a long-time starter at the NFL level.
“Ponds is undersized (which will be a deal-breaker for some), but he compensates with top-tier speed, instincts and competitive toughness that is ingrained in his DNA. His play style makes it hard to bet against him becoming an inside-outside NFL starter,” Brugler wrote.
Jets Get Great News, Rookie Set to Make Debut vs. Packers