3 Free agents Dallas Cowboys have to let walk in 2020
By Randy Gurzi
3. Tavon Austin, WR/PR
The Cowboys brought in Tavon Austin during the 2018 NFL Draft. A former top-10 bust, Austin never lived up to his expectations with the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams. It was so bad that they traded him to Dallas for a mere sixth-round pick.
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Dallas then touted Austin as a game-changer with director of player personnel Stephen Jones even decided to call him a web-back and said the team will have a dozen, or two dozen touches for him a game.
Jones was guilty of using hyperbole there because, after two seasons, Austin had just 33 touches on offense with four total touchdowns. As a return man, he didn’t do much more — averaging just 5.3 yards per punt return. Although, he did have some solid returns in the playoffs against Seattle including a touchdown that was called back on a bogus penalty.
Still, Austin doesn’t do enough to justify a spot on the roster. And the problem is, he shows enough flashes that the Cowboys get a little excited and start trying to force the ball to him.
Rather than keeping a soon-to-be 30-year old web-back, Dallas should use the more effective Tony Pollard in this role. While Austin has great speed, there are better ways to get players involved and at this point, he’s a progress stopper.