Los Angeles Rams: 5 Key questions prior to training camp
3. Is Tavon Austin a franchise wide receiver?
Wide receiver Tavon Austin’s wrist surgery near the beginning of May added to the uncertainty of the Rams offseason in terms of find out who the team’s playmakers are. Austin, like Johnson, is another player whose contract is bigger than his contributions. He’s in the second year of a four-year, $42 million contract but lacks the numbers to back his worth.
Among all WRs with >200 targets in their career, Tavon Austin is the all-time least-efficient (yds/tgt) WR since targets became a stat. pic.twitter.com/3i9eXIaX25
— Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB) January 2, 2017
With incoming wideouts such as Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp and Josh Reynolds, as well as tight end Gerald Everett, Austin would be advised to enter training camp with a motivation to show that he can fill the DeSean Jackson role that McKay had last year as offensive coordinator of the Washington Redskins.
Otherwise, he too will be a ball and chain on the Donald negotiations, and should be considered expendable. Especially one who just established career highs in 2016 of only 58 receptions and 509 receiving yards. Simply put, he has to out-perform that — and somewhat substantially — or else moving on won’t be a difficult choice to make.