Brandon

Stephens

Being a Friday addition to the injury report is never a good sign, so consider Stephens legitimately questionable for Sunday’s contest against the Broncos in London. Stephens allowed a season-high 60 receiving yards in last week’s loss to the Cowboys and has allowed opposing pass-catchers to go for 15-166-3 on 22 targets this season, per PFF. The Jets, who already rank 28th in YPA through the air defensively, could be in for a tough time through the air if Stephens is unable to take the field.

Stephens was thought of as someone teams could buy low on heading into free agency — he allowed 926 yards in coverage and had a 49.4 PFF coverage rating in 2024. Instead, the Jets have paid him starter money. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the deal contains $23 million in guarantees. Stephens will replace D.J. Reed outside next to Sauce Gardner for the Jets.

Humphrey exited Week 17 after aggravating a calf injury and has not practiced since, despite two weeks of rest. He has dealt with injuries throughout the season but has remained a key contributor to the Ravens secondary. Humphrey is now in danger of missing the Divisional Round game against the Texans on Saturday if he cannot practice the rest of the week. Brandon Stephens and company will have to step up against Nico Collins to make up for a potential Humphrey absence.

Humphrey exited the Ravens’ Week 17 win over the Dolphins with a calf injury that he has dealt with recently. He starts out the week with a DNP listing, and while the Ravens will officially practice later in the week, it is possible we hardly see Humphrey out there. With the first seed clinched for the Ravens, Humphrey could sit out Week 18 prior to a playoff push. Fellow secondary starters Kyle Hamilton (knee) and Brandon Stephens (ankle) were listed as limited participants after missing Week 17.

Stephens apparently was rushed to a Cincinnati-area hospital on Sunday morning before the Ravens took on the Bengals. The team said in a statement that Stephens -- a third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft -- “became acutely ill” at the team hotel. He’s back in Baltimore and “in good spirits,” per the team. Stephens’ status for Baltimore’s Wild Card game against the Bengals is unknown.

Stephens (6'/213) was recruited to UCLA as a running back and racked up 277 yards on 65 carries over his three seasons with the Bruins. After three years of backup duties, Stephens sat out the 2018 campaign and transferred to SMU, moving to cornerback in the process. Stephens immediately earned a starting role with the Mustangs and posted 12 pass breakups across 13 games. He came back to SMU for a final collegiate season and earned another 10 breakups to go along with an interception and a fumble recovery. He’s a physically gifted but raw prospect. Stephens has all of the tools necessary to become a starting-caliber corner or safety but will likely contribute on special teams as a rookie. With the strength of Baltimore’s secondary, they can afford to develop him for a year or more before he is called upon for a bigger role.

Stephens (6'/213) was recruited to UCLA as a running back and racked up 277 yards on 65 carries over his three seasons with the Bruins. After three years of backup duties, Stephens sat out the 2018 campaign and transferred to SMU, moving to cornerback in the process. Stephens immediately earned a starting role with the Mustangs and posted 12 pass defenses across 13 games. He came back to SMU for a final collegiate season and earned another 10 pass defense to go along with an interception and a fumble recovery. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein sees him as a physically gifted but raw prospect. Stephensen has all of the tools necessary to become a starting-caliber corner or safety but will likely contribute on special teams as a rookie. With the strength of Baltimore’s secondary, they can afford to develop him for a year or more before he is called upon as a starter.

Stephens (6'0/200) did not receive a carry during the 2018 campaign after rushing for 182 yards and a touchdown on 46 carries as a true sophomore in 2017. As he did not see any playing time this past season, he’ll be able to preserve a year of eligibility with a redshirt. News broke of his entrance into the NCAA transfer portal back in early January. As a graduate transfer, he will be allowed to play immediately with his new team come the start of the 2019 season.

Stephens is a former four-star commit who came to the Bruins after backing off a commitment to Stanford. The 6-foot, 200-pound tailback didn’t play in 2018, and ran for 182 yards with a touchdown on 46 carries. This will be a redshirt year for him, so he’ll not only be eligible to play immediately for a school, he’ll be able play two more seasons.

Alabama was thought to be a potential front-runner for Stephens’ services before he committed to Stanford in the fall, so we’ll see if the 6-foot, 200-pound recruit--No. 20 RB in the country by 247Sports’ composite rankings--opts for the Crimson Tide. He’s also been chased by Big-12 rivals Texas and Oklahoma. As a senior at Plano High in Texas, Stephens rushed for 1,389 yards (6.3 YPC) and 15 touchdowns.