After working out longtime St. Louis and Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Tavon Austin, the San Francisco 49ers plan to sign the veteran, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. They will also be adding wide receiver J.J. Nelson, whom the team also worked out.
49ers plan to sign veteran WRs J.J. Nelson and Tavon Austin, pending physicals, per league source. Added depth in an area in which Deebo Samuel is likely to miss the start of the season.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 14, 2020
The 30-year-old Austin becomes the most-experienced receiver on the roster and can contribute on special teams, as well. He has handled 185 punt returns, returning them for 1,466 yards and three scores over his career.
The Rams drafted Austin out of West Virginia with the No. 8 overall pick in 2013. He registered 13 receptions for 177 yards with a touchdown through 14 games with the Dallas Cowboys in 2019 and has just 317 receiving yards over the past two seasons.
Austin has caught 215 passes for 2,006 yards with 15 touchdowns through his seven NFL seasons. He and Nelson join a wide receiver group that includes Deebo Samuel, Kendrick Bourne, Trent Taylor, Dante Pettis, rookie Brandon Aiyuk, among others.
The Arizona Cardinals made Nelson a fifth-round selection out of UAB in 2015. He spent last season with the Oakland Raiders, where he caught four passes for 36 yards and a score.
Nelson had over 1,000 combined receiving yards and eight combined touchdowns with Arizona during the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
San Francisco worked out both receivers on Friday morning, along with former Miami Dolphins and New York Jets quarterback Luke Falk, as reported on Thursday. The team had planned to also take a look at wide receiver Donte Moncrief but canceled the workout, according to NBC Sports Bay Area.