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Tavon Austin has yet to — and won’t — escape concussion protocol before this week’s game.
Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett ruled out the veteran wide receiver for Sunday’s road tilt against the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field. Linebacker Luke Gifford, who missed Week 1 with an ankle injury, was also ruled out.
Garrett initially revealed Wednesday that Austin, after reporting concussion-like symptoms stemming from the opener, had entered the NFL’s multi-pronged process to combat brain maladies. He didn’t specify the severity of Austin’s concussion, except to say it likely happened while the seventh-year pro was engaged in blocking.
Austin participated in Monday’s practice but complained of side effects Tuesday and was put on ice for an undetermined length of time.
“He had concussion symptoms coming out of the game, so we’ll just take his situation day by day,” Garrett said, per Pro Football Talk. “To be honest with you, he continued to feel some symptoms after the game. It wasn’t something that he needed to come out of the game for. So we just have to be mindful of that and take care of it.”
The league’s concussion protocol is a complex process in which affected players must incrementally work their way back to the field. The final step prior to clearance is gaining the green light from both the club’s medical staff and an independent neurologist.
Acquired by Dallas in 2018 and re-signed this offseason, Austin caught one pass for eight yards in the team’s 35-17 throttling of New York. He’s entrenched as the Cowboys’ No. 4 wideout behind Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and Randall Cobb, who too is battling an injury.
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Austin’s Replacement
Now that he’s officially down for the contest, the Cowboys could turn to summer standout Devin Smith to pull up the rear in the receiving corps. According to multiple reports, however, the team is likelier to promote Cedrick Wilson from the practice squad.
Cobb, meanwhile, practiced in full Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and is good to go for Sunday, recovered from a minor rib issue. He’s expected to handle punt return duties with Austin inactive.
Cowboys Otherwise Healthy
A host of notable Dallas players, including guard Zack Martin (back), defensive end Tyrone Crawford (hip), wide receiver Amari Cooper (foot) and safety Donovan Wilson (ankle), all practiced in full Friday. The only player to sit out was linebacker Sean Lee in a predetermined, non-injury-related day off.
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