Jets to waive Bless Austin

In a moderately surprising move, the Jets will waive cornerback Bless Austin.

Austin had been a starter for the last year and a half with the Jets and projected as a starter this year. That’s why the move is moderately surprising. I don’t think it’s an outright shock, though.

A sixth round pick out of Rutgers in 2019, Austin’s starter status is less impressive once you look under the hood. He got playing time essentially because the Jets were so thin at cornerback. He wasn’t a quality starter. His performance was that of a fringe roster player. His name recognition likely will lead to greater shock and outrage than this move truly justifies. The Jets have a lot of late round and undrafted projects on the roster. Austin was one of them. Nobody would be shocked to see any of them go. I think people should think of him in this context rather than “returning starter.” It helps to explain the move quite a bit.