New Rams coach Sean McVay has big plans for receiver Tavon Austin. Finally, McVay gets a chance to implement them.
“He is fully healthy right now,” McVay told reporters regarding the receiver who missed all of the offseason program due to a wrist injury. “I think there’s still just a little bit -- he’s still working to get full range motion on that wrist. I thought it was good to see him out there competing. He made some tough catches and you like the way you see him finish on a consistent basis.”
McVay said last month that the team intends for Austin to be a “big part” of the offense, and that the coaching staff has “ideas” regarding how to use him. The prior coaching staff used him in limited ways, trying to create opportunities for him to zoom past defenders who can’t catch him.
While that strategy has been effective at times, it hasn’t worked nearly enough to justify his draft status from 2013 or his four-year, $42 million contract from 2016.