The Dallas Cowboys have elected to retain one of their most versatile offensive playmakers. According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, the team has agreed to bring back free agent wide receiver Tavon Austin.
#Cowboys are keeping WR Tavon Austin, source says. They've agreed to a deal.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 14, 2019
Austin was acquired by Dallas from the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for sixth-round pick last April. After playing in the first six games of the season, he missed the Cowboys' next nine contests while recovering from a groin injury suffered in a Week 6 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Austin returned for the regular-season finale and his team's playoff run, which included a 24-22 win over the Seattle Seahawks and 30-22 loss to the eventual NFC Champion Los Angeles Rams.
The West Virginia product had eight catches for 140 yards and two touchdowns in seven regular season games in 2018. He also carried the ball six times for 55 yards and averaged 5.8 yards on 10 total punt returns. Austin was mostly a non-factor during the postseason, totaling two catches for five yards and one rush for negative three yards. His biggest contribution came in the return game, where he notched a 51-yard punt return against the Seahawks.
A top-10 pick in the 2013 draft, Austin has struggled to live up to the sky-high potential he showed as a collegian. At 5-foot-8 and 180 pounds, he lacks the size to be a factor in the receiving game on the outside, and hasn't come close to mastering the nuances of playing the slot.
Austin's best path forward is as a returner and gadget-type player, which is how Dallas used him last season when healthy.
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