Seahawks’ cornerback roulette continues. They sign former Jets starter, among seven moves
The Seahawks’ latest spin of their cornerback roulette wheel produces a former Jet, while leaving off a Warrior.
Seattle signed former New York Jets starting cornerback Blessuan Austin Tuesday.
While adding Austin to the active roster, the Seahawks put new cornerback Nigel Warrior on injured reserve.
The Jets released Austin in something of a surprise last week among their final preseason cuts.
Austin was an honorable mention All-Big Ten player for Rutgers in 2016. He played just five games over his final two college seasons because of two tears of the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee. The Jets drafted him in the sixth round in 2019.
Tight end Colby Parkinson’s second foot injury in as many summers and top rookie draft pick Tre Brown’s injured knee got them on Seattle’s injured-reserve list Tuesday.
The Seahawks signed recently acquired cornerback John Reid and wide receiver Penny Hart from the practice squad to the active roster, to augment the special-teams units first.
Seattle signed cornerback Gavin Heslop to the practice squad. He had a strong training camp for the Seahawks.
The team released undrafted rookie tight end Mark Vital from the practice five days after they had signed the national-champion basketball forward for Baylor this past spring.
It used to be injured reserve in the NFL meant such a player was out for the season. The league has relaxed and expanded its rules for IR multiple times the last couple years. Now any player put on IR can return this season.
Because Warrior, Parkinson and Brown were on the initial 53-man roster of the regular season following the waiver period ending last week, they can return to play in as few as three weeks.
The 6-foot-1 Austin fits the profile of a Pete Carroll Seahawks cornerbacks: long, with long (32 1/2-inch) arms. He started 16 games in two seasons for the Jets, including 10 last season. He had 58 solo tackles last season, tied for 17th among NFL cornerbacks ranked by Pro Football Focus. He allowed 41 completions in 59 targets of receivers at him, per PFF.
He joins a series of tryouts and additions at cornerback for Seattle the last two weeks.
Since Brown stopped practicing because of his knee injury, the Seahawks have:
- moved 2020 starting right cornerback D.J. Reed to left corner
- traded training camp starting left cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon to Pittsburgh for a fifth-round pick, on Friday
- traded a sixth-round pick to Jacksonville to get former University of Washington cornerback Sidney Jones last week
- traded a conditional seventh-round choice to Houston to acquire Reid
- signed Warrior off waivers from Baltimore
Other than that, the Seahawks have been just fine with their cornerback position.
As the mixing and matching continued into the week of the opener, Carroll was asked what his concerns would be about the readiness of all the new cornerbacks in new places.
Carroll smiled.
“My concern would be in terms of their readiness. Exactly what you said,” Carroll said. “Making sure our guys know what’s going on.”
Jones played mostly right cornerback last season for the Jaguars. He’s played both left and right side in his injury-limited NFL career, first as the Philadelphia Eagles’ second-round pick in 2017.
Jones, wearing the jersey number 23 Damarious Randall had until the Seahawks released him last week, has impressed Carroll with how quickly he is picking up Seattle’s defensive schemes and techniques for cornerbacks. Carroll teaches and demands a unique step-kick technique of cornerbacks jamming then stepping with and turning receivers off the line of scrimmage.
Many veteran cornerbacks have failed in Seattle trying to unlearn old ways and learn Carroll’s. The most infamous and expensive example: Cary Williams, in 2015. The Seahawks signed him as a free agent before the 2015 season. He never did learn what Carroll taught. The team paid him $7 million for 10, subpar games before Carroll released Williams in the middle of the first season of his contract.
Monday, Carroll said for the second time in a week how well UW’s coaches taught Jones, and how those teachings closely align to what the Seahawks cornerbacks need to do.
“Sidney’s been here for a week already, so he’s been working at it. He’s familiar with us and our style and technically how we coach guys,” Carroll said. “His coaches at UW took care of him in great fashion. He’s a really bright kid too, as is John Reid. We just notice these guys pick stuff up really quickly.
“The cornerback spot, it depends: If we try to make them into something different than what they are, then they might struggle. These guys are not — we don’t ask them to do that. We ask them to play in the mentality and the mold that they bring, and then tweak from there. That’s always the way we’ve done it.”
Carroll said Reid also has quickly grasped the nuances of the position for the Seahawks.
“It took him a couple of days and he was comfortable then he was on the field,” Carroll said. “I think Sidney will do the same thing.”
Until Jones does, the aggressive, 5-foot-9 Reed on the left and the 6-3 Flowers on the right appear on track to start Sunday’s opener against Carson Wentz and the Colts.
Monday, Carroll said Parkinson wouldn’t play in Indianapolis this weekend, but that his 6-7 tight end was on his way back from a foot injury last month.
The coach said Brown was likely out at least until the week of the Seahawks’ week-three game at Minnesota Sept. 26.
“It’s going to be a bit for him (to get back),” Carroll said of Brown. “He’s got a couple things we’re working on. None of them are debilitating. None of them are so serious. It’s just going to take some time.”
This story was originally published September 7, 2021 at 1:57 PM with the headline "Seahawks’ cornerback roulette continues. They sign former Jets starter, among seven moves."
