WVU Football: Former ‘Eer undergoes surgery, to miss OTAs
By Phil Poling
The injury bug struck another former WVU football player in the NFL, after Tavon Austin recently had off-season surgery on his left wrist.
The former No. 8 overall pick by the then-St. Louis Rams will miss organized team activities (OTAs) this summer, but is expecting to return by the end of July for training camp.
Can confirm that Rams WR Tavon Austin had surgery on his left wrist. He will miss OTAs, but is expected to be ready for training camp.
— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) May 5, 2017
According to ESPN.com, Austin’s surgery, “was an arthroscopic procedure to repair ligament damage,” on his left wrist.
The timing of this injury for the former Mountaineer is bad for two reasons. The obvious one – he’ll miss time. The second, though, is a big one; Austin’s coming off a career year, but needs to build chemistry with 2016 No 1 overall pick, quarterback Jared Goff.
Austin posted career-highs in targets (106), catches (58) and receiving yards (509) for the Rams last year, but will need to prove himself this upcoming season. Los Angeles picked up two wide receivers in the NFL Draft, but don’t expect Austin to be phased out at the position; he signed a $42 million dollar / 4 year deal that runs through 2022. Plus, it’d be hard cutting ties with someone who’s getting $28.5 million guaranteed.