Former Rutgers football cornerback Blessuan Austin signs with Denver Broncos

Former Rutgers cornerback Blessuan Austin signed with the Denver Broncos.

Just one day before the opening round of the NFL draft, the Denver Broncos filled a big roster need. According to 9News insider Mike Klis, cornerback Blessuan Austin is signing with Denver after spending last season with the Seattle Seahawks.

Austin, 25-years old, will add depth to a Broncos defensive back room after having started 17 games over the last three seasons with Seattle and the New York Jets. Austin is one of seven players who tried out for the Broncos during voluntary minicamp this week.

The Broncos filled another need many fans thought would be addressed in the draft. This signing comes on the back of bringing back running back Melvin Gordon. Per our friend Joshua Kellem at Broncos Wire, Austin will presumably slot into the No. 4 cornerback slot behind Patrick Surtain, Ronald Darby, and K’Waun Williams. He’ll be used in the team’s dime package (six defensive backs).

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Austin was selected in the 2019 draft in the sixth round (196 overall) by the Jets. He has seen time in 29 games in his young career thus far, recording 98 tackles (77 solo, three for loss), two QB hits, eight pass breakups, and two forced fumbles.

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Broncos sign 2 more minicamp tryout players

In addition to CB Blessuan Austin, the Broncos also signed WR Trey Quinn and CB Donnie Lewis this week.

Cornerback Blessuan Austin wasn’t the only player who turned a Denver Broncos minicamp tryout into a contract this week.

In addition to signing Austin on Wednesday, the Broncos also signed wide receiver/returner Trey Quinn and cornerback Donnie Lewis. KOA Radio’s Benjamin Allbright first reported the Quinn signing and KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis broke the news of the Lewis signing.

Austin, Quinn and Lewis were among seven players who tried out for the team this week. The four others — WR Keelan Doss, WR Juwan Green, TE Caleb Wilson and RB Artavis Pierce — remain free agents.

Quinn (6-0, 200 pounds) entered the league as a seventh-round pick out of SMU in 2018. Spending time with three teams, he’s caught 35 passes for 273 yards and two touchdowns in the NFL.

Lewis (6-0, 190 pounds) was also seventh-round pick out of Tulane in 2019. He’s spent time with two different teams since then but is yet to appear in a regular season game.

In addition to those three signings, the Broncos also agreed to terms on a one-year contract with running back Melvin Gordon on Tuesday. That leaves Denver with 19 open roster spots entering the NFL draft. If the Broncos don’t make any trades and use their nine draft picks, the team would then have room to sign 10 undrafted free agents next week.

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Broncos sign CB Blessuan Austin after minicamp tryout

Blessuan Austin will give the Broncos more depth at cornerback.

Broncos general manager George Paton gets his man, cornerback Blessuan Austin.

The Broncos are signing Austin, 25, according to 9News insider Mike Klis. Austin will add depth to the secondary after having started 17 games over the last three seasons with the New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks.

Austin is one of seven players who tried out for the Broncos during voluntary minicamp this week. Like with the re-signing of Melvin Gordon Tuesday, Paton abolishes a draft need hours before the NFL draft Thursday.

Austin presumably slots into the No. 4 cornerback slot for the Broncos behind Patrick Surtain, Ronald Darby, and K’Waun Williams. He’ll be used in the team’s dime package (six defensive backs).

A sixth-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft, Austin’s played in 29 games in his career. He’s totaled eight pass breakups, two forced fumbles, 98 total tackles, three tackles for loss and two QB hits.

Signing Austin doesn’t prohibit Paton from still drafting a cornerback with one of the team’s nine picks. But the point is the team has much-preferred optionality now with the Austin and Gordon signings. After adding Gordon and Austin, the Broncos have 21 open roster spots.

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How did 11 Jets departures play with their new teams in 2021?

How did some ex-Jets perform with their news teams in 2021 after leaving New York?

Joe Douglas sent a lot of players packing last offseason. For the most part, he made smart decisions, as ex-Jets didn’t fare too well with new teams in 2021 after middling careers in New York.

The most notable departures, such as Sam Darnold and Chris Herndon, squandered fresh starts in new cities. A few former Jets took advantage of increased opportunities elsewhere, but New York didn’t miss most of the players Douglas didn’t retain.

Here’s how 11 Jets cast-offs fared away from New York in 2021.

Seattle Seahawks: Breaking down each member of the new-look cornerback group

Let’s take a moment to reset and examine each member of the remodeled cornerback room.

The Seattle Seahawks have made a flurry of changes to the cornerback position over the last couple weeks. A few familiar faces remain, but the team has almost totally upended their depth chart at a critical defensive spot with days to go before the 2021 season begins. Unless you have been obsessively following every move the franchise makes, it’s easy to have missed something in all the excitement.

Let’s take a moment to reset and examine each member of the remodeled cornerback room. Here is a look at the history, measurables and most essential numbers to know for each of them.

Seahawks continue cornerback shuffle with Blessuan Austin signing

With just one week to go before the regular season begins, the Seahawks seem to be frantically searching for a solution to their cornerback problem.

With just one week to go before the regular season begins, the Seahawks seem to be frantically searching for a solution to their cornerback problem. In the last week, they’ve pulled off three separate trades involving corners: bringing in John Reid (before waiving him) and Sidney Jones and sending Ahkello Witherspoon to the Steelers.

They’re not done yet, either. According to Q13FOX, the team has signed former Jets cornerback Blessuan Austin to their 53-man roster. Austin (6-foot-1, 198 pounds) was a sixth-round pick by the Jets in the 2019 NFL draft. He played 18 games in New York, posting eight pass breakups and 88 combined tackles.

Austin was the Jets’ starting cornerback on the right side most of that time, which makes him an interesting fit for Seattle right now, as Sidney Jones and Tre Flowers have also spent most of their careers at that spot. At the moment, it appears D.J. Reed is slated to start on the left side, but at this point it’s anybody’s guess what the lineup will look like next Sunday against the Colts.

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Robert Saleh preaching patience as young corners learn new scheme

Robert Saleh told reporters the focus is on the current group of cornerbacks as they learn a new defense.

Robert Saleh remains committed to the Jets’ current cornerback group.

Despite the unit’s youth and inexperience, Saleh believes the Jets have the right collection of players already on the roster. He’s already said he doesn’t want to rush to add a veteran who would “eat up reps” for younger players. Now he’s preaching patience as the group learns a new defense.

“They’re growing,” Saleh said Friday. “It’s a learning curve. With coach [Gregg] Williams a year ago it was more of a Cover-2 base and we’re here with a more single-high base, so they’re being asked to learn completely new techniques.”

Blessuan Austin and Bryce Hall are the likely starters and backups Javelin Guidry, Lamar Jackson and Corey Ballentine could make the team as well after playing in 2020. That group has a combined 35 starts between them.

The rest of the group is made up of first-year players like late-round picks Jason Pinnock, Michael Carter II and Brandin Echols or undrafted free agent Isaiah Dunn. The average age of cornerbacks on the Jets roster is just 24 years old, which would make the group one of the youngest in the league.

Saleh isn’t worried about any of this just yet, though. He apparently likes what he’s seen so far in practice to stay content with the current depth chart. Saleh did say the team will re-evaluate the position after next week’s mandatory minicamp, but for now, the team wouldn’t add new bodies to the group.

“It’s an opportunity for them to continue to grow,” Saleh said. “They still have two more minicamps obviously and then from there we’ll sit down, reassess, see where we’re at.

“As of now, the focus is just on them.”

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Richard Sherman wants to sign with a team ‘competing for a championship’

This likely takes the Jets out of the running for Sherman’s services.

Richard Sherman finally said what everyone knew: he wants to play for a contender.

The veteran cornerback remains a free agent after playing the past three seasons in San Francisco. He told Bloomberg that he’s waiting for a chance with a winner.

“I want to get to a team that’s competing for a championship, so that’s what I’m focused on and waiting for a right opportunity,” Sherman said. “When it comes, that’s where I’ll be.”

That likely takes the Jets out of the running for Sherman and ends any possibility of a reunion with Robert Saleh. New York is in rebuilding mode with a rookie coach, rookie quarterback and an incredibly young roster. The Jets likely aren’t in a position to make a playoff run, and they’re certainly not viewed as Super Bowl contenders.

Gang Green could use Sherman’s services if a contender doesn’t come calling. Although Sherman just turned 33, he’d be a welcome addition to the Jets’ inexperienced secondary. His familiarity with Saleh’s coaching and defensive style would make the acclimation process easier for himself and the rest of the Jets’ defensive backs.

The Jets continued to look at Sherman as an option as recently as three weeks ago, according to The Athletic’s Connor Hughes, but nothing of substance materialized and Sherman is still looking for his next contract. Saleh has also said he doesn’t think the Jets need a veteran cornerback, who would “eat up reps” for the rest of the position group, right now.

Of course, that could change as the season draws nearer.

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Jets CB Bless Austin: I ‘didn’t play up to my capabilities’ as a rookie

Jets second-year cornerback Bless Austin feels he “didn’t play up to his capabilities” during rookie campaign, vows to be better in 2020.

Bless Austin isn’t one to grow complacent.

The Jets’ second-year cornerback out of Rutgers feels he left a lot of plays on the field during his rookie campaign. With a chance to start in 2020, he’s vowed to become a more consistent presence in the Jets’ secondary for the 2020 season.

“Definitely a learning process,” Austin said when asked to evaluate his rookie season by Jets team reporter Olivia Landis. “Cause honestly I feel like I definitely didn’t play up to my capabilities. A lot of plays, I left out there. Getting in the classroom, working out and getting together with my coaches and teammates, it’ll only get better from there, no doubt.”

Rehabbing from an ACL injury he suffered in college, Austin started the season on the PUP list. Austin was activated in November and was immediately thrown into the fire with Darryl Roberts injured and Nate Hairston benched. The Jets weren’t looking for a savior at the cornerback position, but Austin provided a steady hand that Trumaine Johnson, Roberts and Hairston never provided.

Austin got off to a hot start with his consistent and aggressive play, but he eventually found himself in Gregg Williams’ doghouse. He was benched in the second half of a Week 16 showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers after allowing Dionate Johnson to beat him for a 29-yard touchdown with four seconds to go before the half. That was the last time Austin saw the field in 2019.

He finished the season with 25 tackles, four passes defended and a forced fumble in seven games.

Even though he was benched last year, Austin appears to be in the mix for the Jets’ No. 2 cornerback position. He’ll face competition from Arthur Maulet, Quincy Wilson, Bryce Hall and Hairston.

The Jets did a lot of remodeling to the cornerback room this offseason, but with past success and knowledge of the defense, Austin may be able to play himself back into the starting position he once held.

The biggest surprises from the Jets’ 2019 season

The Jets Wire listed players such as Foley Fatukasi and James Burgess as among the team’s biggest surprises from the 2019 season.

Sitting at 1-7 halfway through the season, it was surprising to see the Jets be relatively competitive down the stretch. It seemed as if New York was destined for another top-three selection.

Finishing 6-2 in the team’s final eight games, the Jets were able to go 7-9 in Adam Gase’s first season as head coach. Largely thanks to Gregg Williams and a contingent of unheralded defensive players, the Jets were able to play meaningful football toward the end of the season.

There were so many pleasant surprises for Gang Green in 2019 even if the year ended with the franchise’s ninth consecutive season of missing the playoffs. Some of those pleasant surprises who couldn’t crack this list include Nathan Shepherd, Tarell Basham, Brian Poole, Braxton Berrios and Vyncint Smith.

With that said, let’s take a look at the Jets’ biggest surprises from the 2019 season.

TE Ryan Griffin

Ryan Griffin was never supposed to be the Jets’ No. 1 option at tight end, but merely a placeholder for Chris Herndon.

When Herndon returned from his four-game suspension, he injured his hamstring and was then subsequently placed on injured reserve with a broken rib after being active for only two games.

Griffin managed to make the most of his opportunity despite dealing with an injury ailment of his own. He will be out six months after undergoing surgery to repair ligament damage in his ankle.

On the season, Griffin hauled in 34 receptions for 320 yards and five touchdowns in 13 games played. His five scores were a career-high. In Griffin, the Jets now have a viable No. 2 option at tight end who can be the perfect complement to Herndon.

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