Cowboys take a flier on draft bust Tavon Austin in trade with Rams

On the weekend NFL teams are adding new draft talent, the Los Angeles Rams cut ties with one of their biggest draft mistakes of the last decade by sending former first-round pick Tavon Austin to the Dallas Cowboys for a sixth-round pick.

Why did the Rams trade Austin?

Austin, 27, was the No. 8 pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, but the most receiving yards he has ever finished a season with was 509 with the Rams in 2016. However, he contributed as more than just a receiver, and has 1,238 rushing yards in his career and three punt return touchdowns. He’ll likely bring the same versatility to Dallas.

But Austin never really fit in as a full-time piece in the Rams’ offense and became an even lesser valued part of the offense under Sean McVay. In 2017, the receiver caught just 13 passes for 47 yards and contributed more on the ground with 270 rushing yards.

In 2016, Austin received a surprising four-year, $42 million deal that far eclipsed any production he actually provided on the field. Earlier this year, it was reduced to a one-year, $7 million contract in a significant pay cut for the receiver. That’ll make it a cheap addition for the Cowboys.

Why did the Cowboys trade for Austin?

Finding help for Dak Prescott has been a priority in Dallas, and became an even bigger need for the team when Dez Bryant was released earlier in April.

Bryant led the team with 838 receiving yards in 2017, leaving the team without much production left on the roster. While the Cowboys added receiver Michael Gallup to the team in the third round, there’s still plenty of work to be done and adding Austin gives a versatile player that the team can be creative with.

After making the deal, the Cowboys sent slot receiver Ryan Switzer to the Oakland Raiders:

But according to Ian Rapoport, Austin won’t even play receiver for the Cowboys:

Austin will seek to complement Ezekiel Elliott as a running back who performs at his best in space.