Rams look to use Tavon Austin more on offense with starters resting Week 17

With the Los Angeles Rams resting numerous key starters, it looks like Tavon Austin is going to receive a heavy workload in Week 17 against the San Francisco 49ers.

For reasons that were difficult to explain at the time, the Los Angeles Rams decided to make the questionable decision last year to reward Tavon Austin with a hefty four-year, $42 million extension, with the mindset that he was ready to take on the responsibilities of being a true No. 1 wideout. After finding the end zone a total of 10 times the previous year, it was easy to see why the Rams were so excited about the potential surrounding the former first-round pick, but to pay Austin that kind of numbers when taking a closer look at his numbers seemed like a major risk.

When seeing how the 2016 season turned out for Austin and Los Angeles, it was clear giving him that kind of contract was a huge mistake. Not only did Austin finish with just 509 yards (which sadly is a career high), but the West Virginia product found the end zone a total of four times, as the Rams ended up finishing at the bottom of the league by only averaging 14 points per game. To make the situation even more frustrating, Los Angeles was in a tough position since releasing Austin wasn’t an option this year when looking at the financial hit the team would have been forced to take.

Even when Sean McVay was hired as the new head coach in the offseason, the Rams seemed confident enough that the offensive mastermind would figure out a way to use Austin’s skills to his advantage, which if anything, has been more of a running back this season. The fact that Austin has only caught 10 passes for 33 yards to go along with 246 rushing yards and a touchdown shows why there’s been so much frustration towards him, but at least that hasn’t stopped Jared Goff from still leading the offense to being one of the best units in the NFL.

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On a positive note, at least Sunday’s regular-season finale against the San Francisco 49ers will finally provide Austin with more of an opportunity to be more involved on offense. As ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez discussed a few hours before the game gets underway, the plan for the Rams seems to have Austin take advantage of all the key starters taking the afternoon off by resting, and it will certainly be interesting to see what kind of numbers he can put up to hopefully boost his confidence heading into the playoffs. Otherwise, the frustration surrounding Austin is only going to continue for the Rams and their fans.