The Dallas Cowboys made a shrewd move during the draft to pick up receiver/running back Tavon Austin from the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for a sixth-round pick
Watching the draft live there was a collective shrug from the crew of football guys covering the event when word broke that the Dallas Cowboys had traded for wide receiver/return man Tavon Austin. That’s somewhat understandable given how far Austin fell from meeting his expectations when the Rams selected him at No. 8 overall in the 2013 NFL Draft.
Not only was he selected in the top 10, but the Rams even moved up from No. 16 to secure his rights. Austin never lived up to a guy that a team invested that much for, which is what led to the shrug. That’s not what the Cowboys are getting though.
Dallas didn’t invest draft capital to trade up. They didn’t use the eighth overall selection on Austin. Instead, they gave up just the 192nd pick in the draft for a 27-year old that ran the 40 in the 4.3s during his NFL Combine just five years ago.
Now before pointing out how Austin didn’t fit in Dallas, think about what they lacked last season. They really didn’t have that guy who scared defenses with their speed. Also keep in mind that Dallas isn’t expecting Austin to line up wide. Instead he will work out of the backfield more often than not as Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported.
"“They view Tavon Austin as a running back, similar to what Lance Dunbar did,” NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport said according to Herbie Teope of NFL.com. “They expect a lot of creativity out of the backfield now.”"
Dallas did find creative ways to get Dunbar the ball and he was hard for linebackers to keep up with when running routes. Austin offers a more polished player than Dunbar, even if he hasn’t lived up to expectations.
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With the Cowboys he has a fresh start with the chance to make good on his incredible athleticism. And if opponents don’t pay attention, he can burn them. That’s the kind of player Dallas was lacking in 2017.