PFF ranks Rams’ Tavon Austin in bottom five for WR ratings from 2016 season

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Tavon Austin is facing plenty of pressure to bounce back after a disappointing 2016 season.

When it comes to members of the Los Angeles Rams, the argument can be made that no player is facing more pressure heading into next season than wide receiver Tavon Austin. Expectations were high for the former first-round pick around this time last year after an impressive 2015 campaign in which he managed to find the end zone 10 times, and the Rams even made the bold move of rewarding him with a hefty four-year, $42 million extension last August.

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So how did Austin’s new contract workout for Los Angeles in 2016? Well, let’s just say Austin was considered one of the league’s most disappointing players after setting a career high with 509 receiving yards while only finding the end zone four total times. For a player making the kind of money Austin is scheduled to make over the next few seasons, it’s embarrassing to be considered a No. 1 wideout, and only have a career high of 509 receiving yards.

Then again, hopefully the development of Jared Goff under a new coaching staff led by Sean McVay will finally help get the best from Austin, especially since there have already been discussions over potential future trade talks after the Rams added two wide receivers in the draft. Only time will tell when it comes to whether that actually happens, but even if that does happen, it still didn’t prevent Pro Football Focus from ranking Austin in their bottom five for receiver ratings from last year.

Of course, the argument can be made that Austin would never have been part of this list if Los Angeles provided him with a better situation at quarterback, but it’s still a tough pill to swallow. Most players on offense would struggle if they had to deal with Case Keenum along with a struggling rookie like Goff under center, so it’s easy to give Austin some benefit of the doubt for seeing what he had to work with.

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With that being said, it’s now up to Austin to prove his doubters wrong by becoming a reliable receiver for Goff to work with on offense, assuming there are no setbacks from his recent wrist surgery. Who knows, maybe ending up on this list from PFF will motivate Austin a little more to step up his game, but fans will just have to wait and see if that actually happens.