31 Blessuan Austin DB

Austin is expected to start at cornerback for Sunday's game against the Redskins, Connor Hughes of The Athletic reports.

If Hughes' words hold true, Sunday would be Austin's first career start. The 23-year-old is coming off a great performance last week, seeing 49 snaps and making three solo tackles and a forced fumble in his NFL debut. Other candidates for the start and extra reps include Arthur Maulet and Maurice Canady.

Austin notched three solo tackles, one defended pass and one forced fumble during Sunday's 34-27 win over the Giants.

Austin played a notable 70 percent of snaps on defense in his NFL debut, and his forced fumble came on the Giants' final play of the game, securing a win for the Jets. The rookie sixth-round pick spent the first nine weeks of the season on the non-football injury list while rehabbing a knee issue. Now back to full health, he looks set for a key role in New York's secondary going forward.

The Jets activated Austin (knee) from the non-football injury list Thursday, Ethan Greenberg of the team's official site reports.

Austin missed the first nine weeks of the season while rehabbing a knee injury. He resumed practicing in mid-October and now appears back to full health. The Jets waived B.J. Bello to make room for Austin on the 53-man roster.

Austin (knee) resumed practicing Thursday, per the league's official transactions log.

Austin remains on the reserve/non-football injury list for the time being. The rookie's return to practice opens a 21-day window during which the Jets can decide whether to add him to the 53-man roster or transfer him to injured reserve.

The Jets placed Austin (knee) on the reserve/non-football injury list Saturday, per the league's official transactions report.

Austin still appears to be working his way back from an ACL injury. The rookie will be ineligible to practice or play for the first six weeks of the season due to his placement on the reserve/NFI list.

The Jets placed Austin (knee) on the Non-Football Injury list Tuesday.

Just a week ago, Austin announced in a twitter post that he was cleared by doctors, but this news confirms he won't be ready for the start of training camp. The cornerback has undergone ACL surgeries in back-to-back seasons, so it's expected he still needs time to heal. The rookie, when healthy, certainly has the skillset to earn a long-term role with the organization and be a quality starter.

Austin (knee) announced in a Twitter post that he's been cleared by doctors to resume football activities.

While this is certainly a step in the right direction for Austin, a daunting journey lies ahead after consecutive ACL surgeries on the same knee in back-to-back seasons. The rookie, when healthy, certainly has the skillset to earn a long-term role with the organization and be a quality starter.

Austin (knee) is likely to begin the preseason on the PUP list, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Consecutive ACL surgeries on the same knee in back-to-back seasons might put Austin's rookie campaign in jeopardy, as the cornerback is expected to need some time to heal. Considering Austin was a sixth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Jets are likely fine taking a precautionary approach with a cornerback that has all the tools (6-foot-1, 198 pounds) to be a quality starter.

The Jets selected Austin in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 196th overall.

Austin (6-foot-1, 198 pounds) could be a steal for the Jets this late in the draft after he showed huge potential as a sophomore in 2016 at Rutgers before losing most of the subsequent two seasons due to separate knee injuries. The combination of his big frame and short-area quickness highlight his athletic profile. He may have a hard time finding playing time as a rookie behind Trumaine Johnson and Darryl Roberts, among others, but there's long-term upside here.