The San Francisco 49ers announced on Thursday that the team is placing wide receiver Tavon Austin on injured reserve due to a knee injury. He was noticeably absent from Wednesday's practice.
The 49ers officially signed Austin on August 15, and he was fighting for a roster spot as the team quickly approaches Week 1 of the regular season.
The move comes on the same day that San Francisco activated wide receiver Richie James from the active/non-football injury list.
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 had 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.