Green Bay Packers: Tyler Ervin Should be Back for 2020

Tyler Ervin is a pending free agent but given what he can provide on special teams and on offense, the Green Bay Packers should really try to bring him back for 2020.

At the time it may have seemed like the mid-season acquisition of Tyler Ervin was a last-ditch effort by the Green Bay Packers to find some sort of competency at the punt return position, and maybe it was. But instead they ended up finding a diamond in the rough.

As I’m sure most remember, the Packers’ punt return team was on a historically bad pace with a grand total of -8 returns yards through 13 weeks of the NFL season. In fact, their leading punt return man at that point was Trevor Davis who was traded to Oakland after Week 2.

With low expectations, Ervin had one heck of a debut against Washington as he would total 51 punt return yards at nearly 13 yards per return. This type of performance was something that Packer fans hadn’t seen in far too long and it was well overdue.

Ervin would continue his solid play in the return game for the remainder of the season and his 9.6 yards per punt return would have ranked as the fourth best in the NFL had he qualified with enough punt return attempts in Green Bay.

He would also average 26.7 yards per kick return over his six attempts which once again would have ranked as the fourth most had Ervin qualified.

While his impact on special teams was certainly a welcomed sight on its own, as the season progressed, Matt LaFleur began using Ervin on offense where his explosiveness and impact were once again on full display.

Although his numbers weren’t eye-popping by any means as he totaled 11 receiving yards on two receptions and 35 rushing yards on three carries, there were also some near misses.

Against Detroit in Week 17, lined up as a receiver, Ervin runs a beautifully ran sluggo route, beats his man and would have had an easy touchdown reception had he not been overthrown. Then two weeks later against Seattle in the Divisional Round, Ervin looked like he was going to break-off a huge run but was eventually tripped up.

Now as a pending unrestricted free agent, the Green Bay Packers should do what they can to bring him back for 2020. For one, he will provide some stability to the return units but with a full offseason in the Packers’ system, he can become a real weapon on offense for LaFleur.

In his short time with Green Bay, Ervin lined up in the backfield, in the slot, out wide, and was constantly in motion before the snap. He adds a new element to this offense that opposing defenses have to now prepare for and LaFleur could really exploit his skill set.

Last season between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Packers, Ervin earned $720,000 for the year, so it isn’t going to break the bank to bring him back. So let’s hope that Ervin is on GM Brian Gutekunst’s radar to bring back because he can provide a lot of value both on special teams and on offense.