Austin has been making plays for years. Maybe not enough to justify his salary, but we see him running around or by people.
What I can't understand is how there are people perfectly ok with Benny Cunningham doing nothing for 2 seasons, 0 Tds, 3 runs over 20 yards, basically 1 play a year, and the same people beat up on Austin when he made more plays in a few games in 2015 that Cunningham made his entire career.
Austin in the role of spotting Gurley and also a spot WR and a punt returner is a significant upgrade from Benny Cunningham. It also has the intangibles of the fakes that get Gurley big yards. If the fake was to Cunningham the defense on the other team wouldn't bite, because he can't make a big play.
Now, Do I think Austin is a great player? No? Is he greatly overpaid? Yes
But are the Rams better with him or without him. The Rams are much better with him getting snaps than somebody like Cunningham or this year's Brown at the RB position. He also can make plays at WR. The issue is the Rams already have 3 good ones so that is why he isn't getting as much time at WR. But with these offensive coaches, having a mix of talent to get the defense off balance is a big bonus. They know how to use the talent collectively together.
If the Rams lose Austin because of the salary cap, I get it, but use him while you have him as it could be the difference between finally making the playoffs or not. We already won a game that we would have lost without the contribution from Austin (The Cowboys game) A couple of those could be the difference between 10-6 and 8-8.
