Azareyeh Thomas ready for his Jets moment as rare window of opportunity opens

When Jets rookie Azareye’h Thomas spoke with his brother and Cowboys safety Juanyeh Thomas throughout his first season, Juanyeh’s message always revolved around continuing to stay ready.Continuing to prepare like a starter.

Text with Brian Costello all season as he brings Sports+ subscribers the latest Jets intel from on the field and off.Juanyeh, now in his third year, was a backup, too.

And when Dallas safety Malik Hooker landed on injured reserve before Week 5, he made his first start of the season at MetLife Stadium. So Thomas kept approaching the Jets games the same.The third-round pick in April’s draft encountered small chances to contribute throughout the opening stretch of games, but with star cornerback Sauce Gardner (concussion) ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Bengals, Thomas will make his first career start — a daunting challenge against star Cincinnati receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins — and become tangible evidence of his brother’s message paying off. Thomas didn’t hesitate Friday.

He’s been ready for this since rookie minicamp, since his first days at the Gang Green facility, and “these are the games that you live for to play in.” The stakes for the Jets — winless through seven games, already spiraling less than half a season into new coach Aaron Glenn’s tenure — are relatively low, but Thomas has encountered a fleeting window of opportunity to make his first true impression with his mother and sister in attendance. “When I was younger, I used to try to look too far ahead and stuff like that,” Thomas told The Post of what his first snap as a starter might feel like, “and I feel like you give yourself anxiety and stuff like that.So I just really try to stay in the moment and get better at my craft in the moment, and when that [first snap] comes, I’ll take it all in for sure.” After Gardner exited Sunday, Thomas took 27 snaps and flashed both his potential and the growing pains of being a ...