Who is Alex Austin? New Cowboys CB Brings Physicality, Aggressive Playmaking

The Dallas Cowboys have been absolutely crushed by injuries in the secondary over the first few weeks of the season, and that is even more troubling when you consider the secondary wasn't playing good before them.

As we enter Week 4, cornerbacks Cobie Durant and Shavon Revel are both hurt, and so are safeties Malik Hooker, P.J. Locke and Jalen Thompson.

In response to those injury issues, the Cowboys signed veteran cornerback Alex Austin to the practice squad on Tuesday. Austin wasn't the only defensive back Dallas signed, though, as the team also reunited with Juanyeh Thomas, per reports.

Get to know new Cowboys CB Alex Austin

New England Patriots cornerback Alex Austin. — New England Patriots cornerback Alex Austin (28) stretches during minicamp held in the WIN Field House at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The 6-foo1, 191-pound cornerback was initially a seventh-round pick of the Buffalo Bills out of Oregon State in 2023. He has appeared in 29 games (six starts) over three seasons.

In 2023, he split time with the New England Patriots and Houston Texans, and he spent the following two years in New England. In 2025, Austin started in two of the 12 games he played in for the Patriots and finished with 13 tackles and one pass defensed.

According to Pro Football Focus, most of Austin's experience is on the boundary, with 504 career snaps in that area. But he has also played a little slot cornerback (36 snaps) and some safety (51 snaps at strong safety, two at free safety).

Austin has actually posted some impressive coverage numbers in a small sample size. In 2023 over fives games with the Pats, Austin allowed a completion rate of 31.3% and a passer rating of 35.4 on 16 targets thrown his way.

He then followed that up by giving up a completion rate of 45.5% and a passer rating of 87.9 when he was targeted 22 times in 2024.

Unfortunately for Austin, the wheels came off in 2025, when he permitted an 83.3% completion rate and a 143.7 passer rating when targeted on 12 passes.

Another area where Austin can help the Cowboys is on special teams, where he has plenty of experience with 234 snaps.

Here’s a GLIMPSE of what CB Alex Austin can bring to the #Cowboys. 👀

The 6-foot-1 corner has built his game around physical coverage, length and aggressive playmaking, with the versatility to line up outside and make an impact on special teams. A seventh-round pick by Buffalo…
— Jadon (@thecowboysguru) September 30, 2026

Here's more on Austin from Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, who wrote this about the veteran cornerback before he was drafted:

"Austin’s size, length and football IQ work in his favor, but there is a lack of consistency with his man coverage that could limit the way NFL teams use him," Zierlein said. He’s decent at mirroring the release from press but struggles to stay in-phase with quality route runners."

"He plays with below-average top-end speed and recovery burst in man coverage, but his instincts and awareness take him where he needs to go from off-man and zone coverage," Zierlein added. "Austin can play some press and a variety of zones and offers backup potential as a Day 3 option."

Seeing as how he's on the practice squad, there's a chance we may never see Austin play for the Cowboys. However, if things don't improve with the health of Dallas' secondary this week, Austin might get into a game sooner than later.

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