Tom Rock: Jets' Qwan'tez Stiggers has been the fairy-tale story of the preseason
Jets cornerback Qwan'tez Stiggers, left, is all smiles after recovering a fumble in the end zone for a touchback against the Giants at MetLife Stadium on Friday. Credit: Ed Murray
You don’t have to dig very deep to find the feel-good story of the preseason for the Jets.
And it started with one of the feel-worst moments.
On Aug. 11, cornerback Qwan’tez Stiggers collapsed during a joint practice with the Buccaneers and had to be taken to a hospital by ambulance.
Two and a half weeks later, in Friday night’s 23-6 loss to the Giants in the preseason finale, Stiggers had a hand in two takeaways for a team that is parched for that kind of play, tipping a pass that was intercepted and recovering a fumble in the end zone.
Teammate and fellow Atlanta product Marcelino McCrary-Ball was the other player on those tag-team turnovers. He came down with the pick and punched the ball away from Braxton Berrios to force the fumble.
“I haven’t really had time to think about it from those different perspectives,” McCrary-Ball said after the game of the wild extremes in Stiggers’ eventful summer.
“But now that you say it, it’s always a good feeling to see anyone, but especially a teammate, have a scare like that and then end up being OK and coming back and having a game like he had.”
Before Friday night, Stiggers hadn’t played since his episode, nor had he spoken to reporters. He technically was in the concussion protocol, according to the team, but he said after the game that he actually suffered from something called heat-related vasovagal syncope. It is a syndrome that causes blood pressure to drop as the vessels widen and blood flow to the brain to become restricted.
“It was pretty scary,” Stiggers said. “I thank God that everything was OK. Credit to the training staff for doing an excellent job getting me the proper care that I needed.”
He said he believes the fight he was involved in moments before he collapsed, one in which his helmet was yanked off his head, and the rep he had just taken as a full-speed gunner on punt coverage contributed to the episode.
“I think there was a lot going on,” he said. “I just passed out. I think I was just overwhelmed. Hopefully it doesn’t happen again.”
He had a lot going on Friday night, too. He was charged with covering the Giants’ Odell Beckham Jr., a player he grew up watching make magical catches in this very building. Stiggers said that as a teenager, he once cut his hair in a Mohawk just like the one OBJ used to wear.
“It was a surreal moment for me to go against Odell, because I used to watch those one-handed catches and the dances,” Stiggers said.
Beckham was the undisputed center-stage star of the game. It was Stiggers’ job to make sure he didn’t rise to the occasion.
And on the first play in which the ball came their way on Friday, Stiggers was able to stick his hand between Beckham’s and tip it away. It floated to McCrary-Ball’s waiting arms.
“The first one,” Stiggers said with a laugh about getting the upper hand.
On the next one, Beckham made a Beckham catch. He finished with three receptions for 53 yards.
This isn’t the first time Stiggers has managed to turn a preseason into his own personal comeback fairy tale. Two years ago, he made the roster as a player who was taken in the fifth round despite never playing in college.
He dropped out after the death of his father in 2020, played in something called the Fan Controlled League and eventually made it to the CFL, and that’s where the Jets found him.
He made one start in 2024, four last year. He recovered a muffed punt in a win over the Falcons last season.
Even so, Stiggers certainly wasn’t a lock to make the team coming out of this training camp, especially after missing nearly all of the last three weeks of action.
“I wouldn’t say I was worried,” he said of his absence. “I was trying to go the week before, but they were like give your body some time to heal. Shoot, they let me come back for this last preseason game, so I am very grateful for that . . . I just wanted to pick up where I left off. I’m grateful to continue to be here.”
It appears as if he’ll be part of this Jets team now. He certainly was a big part of the Jets story this summer.
Things are going to get real very fast for this team now. The preseason is over. Roster trims will take place throughout this weekend and into early next week. The next time the Jets take the field will be in their regular-season opener in Tennessee in two weeks.
There probably won’t be much space for inspiring tales like Stiggers’.
For one night, though, even in a loss, he gave the Jets and their fans something to be happy about.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
