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Moving on from Miles Austin: What it means for the Cowboys
BRANDON GEORGE Staff Writer
bgeorge@dallasnews.com
Published: 11 March 2014 09:55 PM
Updated: 12 March 2014 01:24 AM
The opening day of NFL free agency Tuesday wasn’t about adding roster help for the Cowboys. Instead, they subtracted two key veterans.
A few hours after the Cowboys released DeMarcus Ware — their all-time sacks leader — they also parted ways with starting wide receiver Miles Austin.
The Cowboys will designate Austin as a post-June 1 cut, according to a source, and move on from a player who had little impact on the offense last season.
Releasing Austin saves the Cowboys $5.5 million against the salary cap, but they don’t get the credit on those savings until after June 1. That money probably will go toward the Cowboys signing their 2014 draft picks. Austin will count more than $5 million against the cap in 2015.
Cowboys tight end Jason Witten was asked a few weeks ago about the possibility of playing the 2014 season without Ware and Austin.
“It’s hard obviously because you know what that person’s makeup is all about, what they do and just the success that they’ve had at a high level,” Witten said.
“There’s a respect there as a teammate, a brotherhood, but also you understand the business side of it. That’s why you want to cash in on these opportunities because that shared commitment is really what it’s all about. If that opportunity passes you by, you never get another chance at it.”
Cutting Austin opens the door for rookie receiver Terrance Williams to enter the starting lineup. The Cowboys were pleased with his production and development last season. Williams — a Dallas native who played at Baylor — was the Cowboys’ No. 3 receiver last season and had 44 catches for 736 yards and five touchdowns.
With Austin gone, the Cowboys also could pursue a veteran receiver in free agency who could help Williams and a young group of Dallas receivers in their development.
What had become clear for the Cowboys was that Austin was trending in the wrong direction.
A year after Austin’s breakout 2009 season (81 catches for 1,320 yards and 11 touchdowns), the Cowboys signed him to a six-year, $54 million contract extension that included $18 million in guaranteed money.
Austin, who turns 30 in June, hasn’t lived up to his big payday. He’s had a hard time staying on the field, struggling with several hamstring injuries.
“Health was an issue for Miles,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said at the end of the season. “And he has been dealing with these hamstrings throughout his career. When Miles has been healthy, he has been a good, productive player for us.”
The man whose locker is adjacent to Tony Romo’s didn’t do much to help the Cowboys’ quarterback last season. Austin had only 24 catches for 244 yards and no touchdowns in 11 games.
After Week 2, he didn’t have more than two catches in any game. He had only nine catches in the second half of games all season. His longest catch of the season was 20 yards.
The Cowboys signed Austin as an undrafted free agent out of Monmouth in 2006, and his big break didn’t come until Week 5 of the 2009 season at Kansas City. Austin started in place of injured starter Roy Williams against the Chiefs and dominated.
Austin had a franchise-record 250 receiving yards against Kansas City on 10 catches with two touchdowns, including the 60-yard game-winner in overtime.
He finished his breakout 2009 season by being named to the Pro Bowl. Austin reached the Pro Bowl again after catching 69 passes for 1,041 yards and seven touchdowns in 2010.
But it was downhill from there.
Austin had only one 100-yard receiving game in 2011 and missed six games because of hamstring injuries. Austin missed another five games with hamstring injuries last season.
Austin never reached 80 receiving yards in any of his last 20 games with the Cowboys. And now the Cowboys are set to rely even more on receiver Dez Bryant.
BRANDON GEORGE Staff Writer
bgeorge@dallasnews.com
Published: 11 March 2014 09:55 PM
Updated: 12 March 2014 01:24 AM
The opening day of NFL free agency Tuesday wasn’t about adding roster help for the Cowboys. Instead, they subtracted two key veterans.
A few hours after the Cowboys released DeMarcus Ware — their all-time sacks leader — they also parted ways with starting wide receiver Miles Austin.
The Cowboys will designate Austin as a post-June 1 cut, according to a source, and move on from a player who had little impact on the offense last season.
Releasing Austin saves the Cowboys $5.5 million against the salary cap, but they don’t get the credit on those savings until after June 1. That money probably will go toward the Cowboys signing their 2014 draft picks. Austin will count more than $5 million against the cap in 2015.
Cowboys tight end Jason Witten was asked a few weeks ago about the possibility of playing the 2014 season without Ware and Austin.
“It’s hard obviously because you know what that person’s makeup is all about, what they do and just the success that they’ve had at a high level,” Witten said.
“There’s a respect there as a teammate, a brotherhood, but also you understand the business side of it. That’s why you want to cash in on these opportunities because that shared commitment is really what it’s all about. If that opportunity passes you by, you never get another chance at it.”
Cutting Austin opens the door for rookie receiver Terrance Williams to enter the starting lineup. The Cowboys were pleased with his production and development last season. Williams — a Dallas native who played at Baylor — was the Cowboys’ No. 3 receiver last season and had 44 catches for 736 yards and five touchdowns.
With Austin gone, the Cowboys also could pursue a veteran receiver in free agency who could help Williams and a young group of Dallas receivers in their development.
What had become clear for the Cowboys was that Austin was trending in the wrong direction.
A year after Austin’s breakout 2009 season (81 catches for 1,320 yards and 11 touchdowns), the Cowboys signed him to a six-year, $54 million contract extension that included $18 million in guaranteed money.
Austin, who turns 30 in June, hasn’t lived up to his big payday. He’s had a hard time staying on the field, struggling with several hamstring injuries.
“Health was an issue for Miles,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said at the end of the season. “And he has been dealing with these hamstrings throughout his career. When Miles has been healthy, he has been a good, productive player for us.”
The man whose locker is adjacent to Tony Romo’s didn’t do much to help the Cowboys’ quarterback last season. Austin had only 24 catches for 244 yards and no touchdowns in 11 games.
After Week 2, he didn’t have more than two catches in any game. He had only nine catches in the second half of games all season. His longest catch of the season was 20 yards.
The Cowboys signed Austin as an undrafted free agent out of Monmouth in 2006, and his big break didn’t come until Week 5 of the 2009 season at Kansas City. Austin started in place of injured starter Roy Williams against the Chiefs and dominated.
Austin had a franchise-record 250 receiving yards against Kansas City on 10 catches with two touchdowns, including the 60-yard game-winner in overtime.
He finished his breakout 2009 season by being named to the Pro Bowl. Austin reached the Pro Bowl again after catching 69 passes for 1,041 yards and seven touchdowns in 2010.
But it was downhill from there.
Austin had only one 100-yard receiving game in 2011 and missed six games because of hamstring injuries. Austin missed another five games with hamstring injuries last season.
Austin never reached 80 receiving yards in any of his last 20 games with the Cowboys. And now the Cowboys are set to rely even more on receiver Dez Bryant.
