Following months of speculation concerning veteran wide receiver Tavon Austin’s future with the Los Angeles Rams, the team decided to pull the trigger on a deal that sent him to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick. It has provided Austin with a fresh start to get his career back on track.
This was a move that the Rams had no urgency in making but their interest in making a deal only came about after the Cowboys contacted them during the 2018 NFL Draft. According to Myles Simmons of TheRams.com, head coach Sean McVay voiced that he believes it was the correct decision to make given what this change of scenery presents Austin moving forward in his career:
“Les had the majority of the dialogue that went on,” McVay said. “I think it’s a combination of you certainly don’t like to lose players that can make plays and do special things like Tavon has done over the course of his career. But, I think you also want to be mindful of what a special, unique, person he his. We felt like that opportunity and all things being considered it was the right thing and to do right by him as well.”
In his first year under McVay, Austin saw his career path head south as he struggled with injuries right out of the gate as he underwent wrist surgery during the offseason that set him back a bit. On top of that, he couldn’t grasp a hold of a significant role in the offense at any point that led to him taking the field for just one play in the wild-card game against the Atlanta Falcons.
All of this led to him seemingly being out of the mix to be a major factor offensively in any manner. This only became more evident after the team decided to trade their 2018 first-round pick for veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks that effectively replaced Sammy Watkins in the passing game.
Ultimately, the move to the Cowboys now gives Austin the chance to revitalize his career to show that he can be a versatile and highly impactful player in the passing game.
