There are two ways to look at the limited use of Tavon Austin during his first NFL preseason: One, the St. Louis Rams are keeping their plans for the versatile rookie wide receiver under wraps. Or, two, they don't know what to do with him.
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Obviously, the former is true. At least, according to coach Jeff Fisher.
"We have a pretty good idea, but we haven't shown it yet," Fisher told "The Jim Rome Show" this week, per ProFootballTalk. "He's not had a lot of production in the preseason, only because it makes sense to hold those types of things for the regular season."
Fisher pointed to Austin's 81-yard punt return against the Denver Broncos on Saturday as an example of what Austin's capable of each time he's targeted.
"You can kind of see the type of ability he has with the ball in his hands," Fisher said.
That much we knew, but the mystery in St. Louis is how the Rams plan to employ Austin in space -- and how much. The St. Louis roster is flooded with young players. Football Outsiders noted that each of the NFL's last four expansion teams fielded more experience at both running back and receiver in their first season than the 2013 Rams.
The onus is on historically conservative coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to make the most of the talent he's been given to work with, and -- as we've harped on during the Around The League Podcast -- we are suspicious of his ability to do so. But it makes sense the Rams wouldn't show the world even a hint of their plans in August.
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