49ers to sign Tavon Austin?

The 49ers will apparently make another roster move before training camp begins this Saturday.

The 49ers will bring wide receiver Tavon Austin for a practice session and plan to sign him, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Austin, 30, played the last two seasons with the Cowboys after spending the first five seasons of his career with the Rams. He was the eighth pick in the 2013 Draft, ran a 4.34-40 yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine and is still one of the fastest players in the NFL, though he’s never held up. its promise as a first choice.

Austin’s last season with the Rams, 2017, was also head coach Sean McVay’s first season in Los Angeles. That year, McVay had Austin perform numerous backhands and reaction sweeps to improve the Rams’ running game. The 49ers use similar types of games and could use Austin the same way the Rams did. He’s also become a bit of a deep threat in Dallas, where he’s averaged 15.1 yards per catch over the past two seasons.

Austin replaces 49ers wide receiver Travis Benjamin, their designated speedster who has opted out of the 2020 season due to concerns about the coronavirus. And Benjamin replaced Marquise Goodwin, the former designated 49ers speedster they traded to the Eagles this offseason.

There is no guarantee that Austin will be among the 49ers’ 53 players, just as there was no guarantee that Benjamin would make it. But it certainly looks like the 49ers want a super-fast wide receiver. And right now, Austin is the only one they have, if indeed they sign it.