Seahawks Sign Bless Austin
The Seahawks have signed cornerback Blessuan Austin (Twitter link via Dave Wyman of KCPQ). Austin will serve as a depth option for the ‘Hawks as they prepare to face the Colts on Sunday.
The Jets shopped Austin towards the end of the summer but couldn’t find a taker for him. Last week, they cut him loose in order to pick up linebacker Quincy Williams, the brother of defensive lineman Quinnen Williams.
Austin appeared in eleven games with ten starts last year, registering 63 stops, four passes defensed, one forced fumble, and three tackles for loss. Between his two Jets seasons, Austin registered 88 tackles and two forced fumbles across 18 games.
The 25-year-old Rutgers product now gets to reunite with old pal Jamal Adams while he supports the Seahawks’ CB group. For now, that leaves the Seahawks with six CBs in total — Sidney Jones, D.J. Reed, Tre Flowers, Tre Brown, and Nigel Warrior.
Dolphins Place LT Austin Jackson On COVID List
The Dolphins have placed left tackle Austin Jackson on the reserve/COVID-19 list. To fill his spot, they’ve elevated cornerback Jamal Perry to the main roster. 
[RELATED: Dolphins Place Shaheen On COVID-19 List]
Jackson was set to start in the Dolphins’ season opener against the Pats. In his place, the ‘Fins will likely turn to Greg Little. Barring any setbacks, Jackson should be eligible to play in Week 2 when the Dolphins face the Bills.
Jackson was the second of three Round 1 choices that the Dolphins had in 2020. He was thrown into the fire right away and showed promise at times, despite a mid-season foot injury. However, it hasn’t been a stellar summer for him. Positive test aside, the Dolphins’ recent acquisition of Little signaled shaky confidence in the USC product.
Jackson will be joined on the COVID-19 list by tight end Adam Shaheen.
Dolphins Place Adam Shaheen On COVID-19 List
Dolphins tight end Adam Shaheen has tested positive for COVID-19 (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). He’ll be placed on the COVID list for now, which will rule him out for Sunday’s season opener against the Patriots.
Fortunately, Shaheen is not experiencing any major symptoms. However, since he’s unvaccinated, league rules will mandate a minimum of ten days on the COVID reserve list.
The Dolphins acquired Shaheen — a former second-round pick — from the Bears in 2019 for a conditional seventh-round pick. Then, in October of 2020, they re-upped him on a two-year, $7.85MM deal with $3.2MM guaranteed.
Shaheen didn’t live up to expectations in Chicago, due in large part to injuries. All in all, he had 26 receptions for 249 yards and four touchdowns in 27 Bears games, out of a possible 48. With the Dolphins, he’s managed to stay healthy while serving as a solid blocking tight end. In a full slate last year, he went 12/150/3 on 32.8% of the team’s snaps.
Cowboys Re-Sign Bryan Anger
The Cowboys have re-signed Bryan Anger, per a club announcement. Anger was dropped as a part of the Cowboys’ final cuts but they did not sign another punter to replace him.
Anger spent 2019 and 2020 with the Texans, where he cleared 46 yards per punt in each campaign. In March, Houston cleared his contract from the books to save $2MM against the cap. Anger has also spent time with the Buccaneers and Jaguars, but he’s perhaps best known for being a punter that was drafted in the third round. The Cowboys inked him to a one-year deal in April, putting him in competition with Hunter Niswander for the job.
The Cowboys won’t have to make any additional cuts since right guard Zack Martin and offensive lineman Brandon Knight recently landed on the COVID-19 reserve list.
Saints To Re-Sign Chris Hogan, Trevor Siemian
They weren’t gone for long. On Sunday, the Saints re-signed wide receiver Chris Hogan and quarterback Trevor Siemian (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com). 
Hogan delayed a professional lacrosse career to return to the NFL this summer. The two-time Super Bowl champ signed with the Saints back in July and missed the final cut, but that had more to do with the roster shuffle than anything. After his Patriots run, Hogan spent 2019 with the Panthers and 2020 with the Jets, though both years were marred by injuries. In his five games with Gang Green last year, Hogan had 14 catches for 118 yards. He’ll turn 33 in October and will serve as depth while star Michael Thomas works his way back to the field.
Siemian also lost his spot on Aug. 31, but he was expected to return all along. The veteran will operate as Jameis Winston‘s backup on game days while Taysom Hill occupies a variety of other roles and special teams functions. Siemian, a seventh-round pick of the Broncos in 2015, became Denver’s starter after Peyton Manning retired. He started 24 games for the Broncos between 2016-17, and has bounced around with a few different teams as a backup or third-string since losing that gig. His only recent live action came in one start with the Jets in 2019, when he suffered a devastating ankle injury.
49ers Sign Josh Norman
The 49ers have agreed to sign cornerback Josh Norman, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (Twitter link). The former Pro Bowler can earn up to $2.5MM on the one-year pact, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. 
We haven’t heard much about Norman in recent months, but he’s secured a new deal with just days to go before the start of the season. The veteran signed a one-year, $6MM deal with the Bills last year, making him one of several ex-Panthers to rejoin Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane in that cycle. However, a hamstring injury and a stint on the COVID-19 list cost him much of the year games. Norman finished 2019 with 24 stops and one interception in nine games.
Before that, Norman was once considered one of the best corners in the league. His best work came during his time with the Panthers. He dominated in 2015, playing a key role in their run to Super Bowl 50. He intercepted four passes that year, taking two back for touchdowns. It remains one of the best contract-year performances in modern NFL history. The Panthers rescinded Norman’s franchise tag in April 2016, leading to his five-year, $75MM Redskins pact. He did not match that play in Washington, a tenure that ended with the Redskins benching him.
Now, the 31-year-old will look to bounce back in SF where he’ll support starters Jason Verrett and Emmanuel Moseley.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/5/21
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
New England Patriots
- Signed: DL Daniel Ekuale
Cowboys’ Zack Martin Placed On COVID List
Cowboys guard Zack Martin has been placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, per a club announcement. That means Martin is a no-go for Thursday night’s season opener against the Buccaneers and possibly longer, depending on when he clears protocol. 
[RELATED: Cowboys Out On Cam Newton]
Scores of players were sidelined by positive tests last year, but Martin is the first NFL player to be ruled out of a game in 2021. If Martin is vaccinated, he could be eligible to return after two negative test results. However, if he’s not vaccinated, he will be required to keep his distance for a minimum of ten days.
Martin, a six-time Pro Bowler, missed six regular season games last year with a calf injury. The Cowboys are counting on his availability, especially with La’el Collins‘ early season status in limbo. Without Martin, the Cowboys will likely slot Connor McGovern into the starting lineup. Fortunately, they’ll have Connor Williams on the opposite side — he was just recently cleared from his own COVID-19 list stint.
In other Cowboys news, it doesn’t sound like Cam Newton will be with Dallas on Thursday either. Despite speculation to the contrary, they’re not going to pursue the recently released Patriots quarterback. Ditto for the Washington Football Team — they’re ready to roll with Ryan Fitzpatrick, Taylor Heinicke, and Kyle Allen.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/3/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Robert Alford
Baltimore Ravens
- Released from IR via injury settlement: WR Deon Cain
Houston Texans
- Released from IR via injury settlement: WR Taywan Taylor
New York Jets
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Jamison Crowder; Crowder contracted the coronavirus, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Released: DL Henry Mondeaux
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Placed on IR: LB Cam Gill
Tennessee Titans
- Placed on IR: DB Brady Breeze
Seahawks Trade Ahkello Witherspoon To Steelers
The Seahawks are trading cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon to the Steelers (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). In exchange, the Steelers will send a 2023 fifth-round choice to Seattle.
Witherspoon left the rival 49ers to join the Seahawks in March. A third-round pick in the 2017 draft, Witherspoon turned in a strong rookie campaign for SF. Then, he regressed in his second pro season. He was benched several times in 2018, and he ultimately graded out as the worst full-time corner that year, per Pro Football Focus’ metrics.
He did show some signs of life in his platform season, however. Though he started just four games and appeared in only 32% of San Francisco’s defensive snaps in 2020 — both career-low marks — PFF considered him a top-10 corner in terms of coverage ability. In addition to the Seahawks, the Jets, Broncos, and Panthers also showed interest in Witherspoon. Now, he’ll try to fortify the Steelers’ secondary.