Azareye’h Thomas has captured the attention of New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn during the preseason, with Glenn expressing encouragement regarding the second-year cornerback's performance.

"I was very encouraged by the way that he played in the game," Glenn said following a recent practice. "He’s a [6-foot-1], 200-pound man with long arms. And the one thing I wanted to see him do is really disrupt the routes, and he did a really good job of that in man coverage."

Thomas saw limited playing time during the preseason opener but made a notable impact. Glenn noted that Thomas executed his role precisely as expected, despite a "very limited menu" of responsibilities.

"Now, is he where he needs to be? Not at all. But man, that improvement speaks a ton about how he’s gone about training camp," Glenn added.

Thomas entered training camp competing for the starting cornerback position opposite Brandon Stephens. He was in contention with Nahshon Wright, who led the NFL with eight individual takeaways last season. However, Wright has been sidelined by a hip injury, creating an opportunity for Thomas.

During his rookie season, Thomas showed flashes of potential, particularly after the trade of Sauce Gardner. In his final six games as a rookie, the third-round pick from Florida State recorded six pass breakups and 21 tackles before a season-ending shoulder injury required surgery.

"It was tough, but I wouldn’t take it back because I learned so much about myself, about this game and just how fragile this game truly is," Thomas said. "It’s a revolving door. You just never know what happens, so you all got to stay ready. And so it was definitely challenging, but I’m thankful and I’m blessed for it. The No. 1 thing I learned is just to respond."

Thomas, who switched from No. 23 to Gardner's former No. 1 this season, is expected to start again when the Jets face Pittsburgh in their second preseason game. He broke up a pass in eight snaps against the Buccaneers in the preseason opener.

"When the coaches trust you, you’re gonna play even harder for them," Thomas stated.