Miles Austin has been struggling to return from a hamstring injury that's already cost him several games this season, and the Dallas Cowboys are strongly considering shutting the wide receiver down for at least a few weeks so they can have him at 100% for the season's stretch run.
Austin has been pushing hard to get back to full fitness, but he's provided nothing on the field for two consecutive games, and it sounds as though he's only prolonging his recovery time by trying to rush back to full strength.
During Austin's time on the sidelines, wide receivers Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley have emerged as solid offensive weapons, so losing Austin for a few weeks isn't the blow it seemed like earlier this year.
Jason Garrett went on the record Monday to admit Austin "hasn't been himself", and there are already whispers within the organization that this could be Austin's last year as a Cowboy. It would make sense for Dallas to get Austin back to 100% so they can evaluate whether a fully healthy Austin would be worth keeping around after this year.
Dallas has several options when it comes to Austin's future, and it sounds like they're leaning heavily towards releasing him after this year unless a trade partner miraculously materializes within the next week. If Austin can recover and contribute during the tail end of the season (and possibly the playoffs), the coaching staff could change their tune, but as it stands they're prepared to cut Austin loose at the end of the year and move on without him.
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