Adam Gase Praises Former Rutgers Star Cornerback Blessuan Austin in NFL Debut
Just days after he was activated to the 53-man roster, New York Jets cornerback Blessaun Austin made his NFL debut and looked the part in a 34-27 win over the New York Giants.
Austin, who starred as a defensive back at Rutgers, was a sixth round pick of the Jets in April’s NFL Draft. He produced three tackles and two passes defended in the win, which improved the Jets record to 2-7.
He had yet to play a game in the NFL following his recovery from a knee injury during his final season at Rutgers. Moved to the full roster late last week, Austin was pressed into duty as injuries continued to hit the Jets secondary.
His NFL debut saw him play surprisingly well given his 14-month layoff due to injury, providing a foundation for what should be increased playing time.
“Yeah, most definitely. I just got to keep working, stay consistent,” Austin said after the game. “There's a lot of things I got to clean up being a rookie, even my coach told me that, so we going to get together [and] work.”
Most surprisingly, Austin said he wasn’t anxious before his first NFL game, telling reporters in the locker room following the Jets win that “I didn’t have any nerves at all.”
Days before the game, Jets head coach Adam Gase was asked about Austin and his readiness to be called up for the Giants game. Gase had no concerns about the player’s conditioning, noting that Austin has been consistently running and working out since he was cleared to see the field.
Gase also saw a player who could step in since he knew and understood the Jets system, having been immersed in it since rookie minicamp in May. While there was a risk in Austin since he’s coming off injury, Gase clearly didn’t have any concerns that the rookie was ready to step in and provide depth.
That comfort level, both physically in terms of conditioning and mentally in grasping the playbook, were on display in Austin’s contributions to the Jets win on Sunday.
“He’s been basically working on the scout team. We needed him to play. We needed him to get in there and see what he could do,” Gase said.
“He’s not afraid. He’s not shy of confidence. He’s confident in himself. He did a lot of good stuff. It was good to see him around the ball.”
