Slim pickings

There is a shortage.

NFL teams are scrambling to find corners.

Yesterday, the San Francisco 49ers signed 33-year-old Josh Norman, who will turn 34 in December. This is a player many thought was done, and struggled in recent years in Washington and Buffalo after starring in Carolina.

One of his issues is related to speed. This is a player who ran 4.66 at the 2012 combine, which is not a good time for a corner, and would lead to a move to safety for some players.

So if he ran 4.66 nine years ago, what do you think he runs now after years of wear-and-tear?

The Seattle Seahawks signed former Jets cornerback Bless Austin also over the weekend.

He was cut by the Jets last week, a Jets team that has a mercurial cornerback situation, and kept four rookies at the position, which some think could lead to issues this year due to their inexperience. Time will tell.

Austin’s a wonderful guy, and very hard worker, but clearly Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas decided to move on for a reason, and he wasn’t claimed on waivers. Every team had a shot at him. He signed with Seattle a few days after he cleared waivers.

Whatever spin you hear about the release of Austin, weather it is wanting to go to with rookies, or giving Austin a chance to hook on with another team instead of being a backup, that’s all fine, but teams don’t let corners they love out of the building.

So clearly they had an issue with his game, whether that is fair or unfair.

We will see if Austin can take his game to the next level in Seattle. Obviously, it won’t take long for him to get comfortable in Pete Carroll’s defense since Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich, who both coached in Seattle, run a similar scheme to the Seahawks.

On Friday, the Seahawks traded CB Akhello Witherspoon to the Steelers for a fifth-round pick. Why would they trade a guy with 33 career starts in their system with the 49ers, and move to Austin to replace him? Money? Maybe, they have several players still looking to get paid – like LT Duane Brown and safety Quandre Diggs. But once again, if Witherspoon was lighting it up for them, he’s not getting out of Seattle.

I’m telling you man, these teams are grasping at straws at cornerback.

When you see the 49ers signing the soon-to-be 34-year-old Norman, it’s pretty clear what’s going on in the league.

These teams don’t know where to turn. And remember the “Indianapolis Three” – two acquired via trade by the Jets – Nate Hairston and Quincy Wilson, and one signed after Indianapolis cut him – Pierre Desir. None last long with the Jets. But they are still hanging around the NFL.

Hairston with Denver, Wilson with the Giants, and Desir played was with the Seahawks last year and was released last week.

Think about it – Hairston and Wilson are still in the league, and the Jets, a team that has had issues at cornerback the last few years, moved on from each in-season, same with Desir. Hairston and Wilson continue to get work, and don’t be shocked if Desir resurfaces. He usually does. 

There is a major shortage. There is a no way around that fact.

So if you are concerned with the Jets’ current situation, keep in mind, they have plenty of company around the league.

September 6, 2021

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