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Tavon Austin was not on the practice field with his teammates on Wednesday. The St. Louis Rams rookie receiver is still dealing with an ankle injury that kept him out of practice last week as well as last Sunday's win over the New Orleans Saints.
Nevertheless, there is some good news that Austin's ankle is getting better.
WR Tavon Austin (ankle) and RB Daryl Richardson (thigh) do not practice. Austin was not in walking boot Weds.
— Jim Thomas (@jthom1) December 18, 2013
Austin was in a walking boot all last week. Hopefully, this is a sign that he's getting closer to playing again. That said, the Rams should be cautious with No. 11.
There are only two games left this season, and the best the Rams can do is finish at 8-8. Putting Austin on the field if he's not fully ready to play in a pair meaningless games only puts him at risk for 2014, when the Rams will really need him. Fortunately, Jeff Fisher's been methodical about not pushing players back from injuries too quickly.
RIchardson was inactive last week as well, and has been lost in the shuffle since the team made Zac Stacy its feature back.