In a season when almost everything has gone wrong for the Patriots, it appears their ability to scout under-the-radar cornerbacks has paid off again.

The Patriots signed cornerback Alex Austin to their 53-man roster at the end of November after he was released from the Texans practice squad.

Austin, who was originally selected in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Bills, made the biggest play of his young career against the team that picked him, intercepting QB Josh Allen midway through the second quarter of Sunday’s 27-21 loss. It was the first interception of his young career.

“It was similar to the play that (Dolphins cornerback Jalen) Ramsey made,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said, referencing an interception Patriots QB Mac Jones threw in Week 8. “They were running the tight end from the defensive left all the way across down the right sideline, and then trying to clear out the corner. Alex read it, fell off his guy and came over and made the play. Not the same play, but similar-type play. It was a good play, good catch. He high-pointed the ball, made a nice play on it.”

Here’s Austin’s interception:

And the pick Ramsey made against Jones:

Austin played over veterans Shaun Wade and Marco Wilson as the Patriots’ No. 3 cornerback behind Jonathan Jones and Myles Bryant on Sunday. He played 74% of Sunday’s snaps and also registered three tackles.

He’s a player worth continuing to develop in 2024 no matter who is at head coach.