Five Cowboys players who might be finished in Dallas

#3. Tavon Austin, WR

There was a lot of excitement surround the acquisition of Tavon Austin amidst the 2018 NFL Draft. The Cowboys sent a sixth round pick to the Los Angeles Rams to acquire the former eighth overall selection in the 2013 draft.

The playmaking Austin was initially viewed as an Swiss Army Knife offensive weapon. And ears perked up when Cowboys’ executive vice president Stephen Jones mentioned the possibility of him being a running back in Dallas, referring to Austin as a web back early on.

Unfortunately, that was just a pipe dream as the Cowboys ultimately elected to use Austin primarily as a receiver and occasional special teams returner. Although they did implement some gadget plays for him early on.

A groin injury limited Austin to just seven games in 2018. And that appear to halt any momentum the veteran receiver had initially built up in Dallas. He’d end up recording eight receptions for 140 yards and two touchdowns in his first season with the Cowboys. Austin also ran the ball six times for 55 yards.

Last season, Austin played just over 27 percent of the offensive snaps. He recorded 13 catches for 177 yards and a score in 14 games. Austin also had a rushing touchdown.

Austin’s primary role last season appeared to be as a punt returner. He had 17 punt returns in 2019 for Dallas. Unfortunately, his longest return of the year was for only15 yards and his 4.9 yards per return average was among the lowest in the NFL last year.