Falcons add CB Bless Austin ahead of second preseason game

You can never have enough cornerbacks, right? The Falcons think so, as they announced Monday that the team has signed Bless Austin, a Jets sixth-rounder from 2019 who will join arguably the most crowded position on the roster.

Austin, 27, is a fairly experienced player, albeit one who last played in 2021. The 6’1 cornerback has started 17 games out of 29 possible games in his career, with eight pass deflections and 70 catches for 822 yards and four touchdowns over his three seasons. While those numbers don’t necessarily impress, his under 65% career completion rate allowed would have put him in the top half of the NFL a year ago. He has eight pass deflections over that span, showing a knack for getting his hands on the ball, and he’ll be competing for a reserve role in Atlanta.

Austin doesn’t have that much time to snag a role, but if he’s impressive he figures to at least be in the mix for a practice squad spot. We’re not certain who will be going to make way for him, but it goes without saying that Austin is joining one of the deeper groups on the roster, with Mike Hughes, Tre Flowers, Darren Hall, Cornell Armstrong, Natrone Brooks, and Clark Phillips all competing for reserve roles.

Give him a warm welcome, and we’ll likely see him getting significant run against the Bengals on Friday night.