IRVING, Texas – A return for Miles Austin at the right price isn't entirely out of the question.
Head coach Jason Garrett said Austin is "absolutely" a possibility to come back to the team, although the fifth-round selection of Devin Street may make the Cowboys comfortable with what they've got.
"We love Miles Austin, we really do," Garrett said after the draft. "Obviously, drafting Devin Street (Saturday), we addressed the receiver position a little bit. But Miles has been a really good player for us."
The Cowboys designated Miles Austin a post-June 1 cut to free up $5.5 million on the salary cap in 2014. That was done to mitigate the effects of Austin's six-year, $54 million contract he signed in 2010.
Austin was a 1,000-yard receiver twice, catching 81 passes for 1,320 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2009 and 69 passes for 1,041 yards and seven touchdowns 2010. He also played in all 16 games each of those years.
But the receiver's hamstring issues were a recurring theme the rest of his career. He never reached the 1,000-yard mark his next three seasons, and he totaled just 244 receiving yards in 11 games in 2013.
Austin's return certainly isn't a given as of today, even at a reduced rate, considering his injury history. [embedded_ad]
The addition of Street makes the Cowboys more comfortable with their receiving corps. The Cowboys also added 6-4 wide receiver LaRon Byrd in free agency and 6-4 undrafted rookie receivers L'Damian Washington and Chris Boyd.
But Garrett isn't completely ruling out a return for Austin.
"The economics of his situation really factored into the decision we made with him, coupled with his injuries," Garrett said. "We'll look at the landscape when we get done. Miles is a guy that we have great respect for as a person and as a player."
