Packers: Tavon Austin Provides Return Team a Boost & Insurance for Ervin

The Green Bay Packers will have Tavon Austin in for a workout and he is someone who would provide the return team with a boost as well as insurance for Tyler Ervin.

While many of us spent Thanksgiving relaxing and spending time with those closest to us, the Green Bay Packers were practicing as they prepare for their Sunday Night matchup with the Chicago Bears. In addition to that, GM Brian Gutekunst will be bringing in a few players for workouts, most notably former first-round pick Tavon Austin as reported by Field Yates of ESPN.

Assuming that Austin performs well and is in good shape — which I don’t know why he wouldn’t be — signing him and adding his skill-set to this Green Bay Packers team is a move that makes way too much sense.

For starters, he is a very capable return man, something that his Packers team has struggled to find when Tyler Ervin hasn’t been available. Since entering the NFL in 2013, Austin has 185 career punt returns with three touchdowns and an average of 7.9 yards per return. For some context, 7.9 yards per punt return would rank as the 10th best average in the NFL this season.

He also has experience returning kicks, although not nearly as extensive as returning punts. Of Austin’s 25 career kick returns, 18 came in his rookie season, and he didn’t have any in 2018 or 2019. With that said, he would be an immediate and relatively significant upgrade over Darrius Shepherd, who, as we saw in Indianapolis, continues to make crucial errors.

On offense, Austin could once again fill in for Ervin as the team’s primary pre-snap motion man. This season we’ve seen just how important this role is in the Matt LaFleur system and how it helps establish that “illusion of complexity” that he desires.

When Ervin is sent in motion and on jet sweeps, it forces the defense to pause for a split second as they try to figure out whether it’s a run or a pass play as well as who has the ball. This can open up passing lanes for Aaron Rodgers and allow the offensive line to get into a better blocking position both at the point of attack and at the second level.

While Ervin doesn’t fill the stat sheet by any means, it’s his speed and versatility that creates opportunities for his teammates. Austin could provide a similar element to this offense with his blazing 4.34 speed. He also has 196 career rushing attempts, averaging 6.8 yards per carry with 10 touchdowns.

Not only would Austin give the Green Bay Packers some insurance at a key position, but he and Ervin on the field at the same time would allow LaFleur to dial up some creative play designs as well.

As a receiver, listed at 5’8″ – 174 pounds, Austin doesn’t exactly meet Green Bay’s usual size requirements that they value at the position, but he would be a change of pace from the several big-bodied targets that they currently have while being able to line up in the slot as well as out wide. Although it’s worth noting that his career receiving numbers are pretty modest.

Now whether the Green Bay Packers are actively looking to sign Austin right away or it’s Gutey doing his due diligence in case the team is without Ervin again remains the big question. However, Austin was with the Los Angeles Rams at the same time that LaFleur was the offensive coordinator, so there is some familiarity there, and given that he has the potential to make an impact as a returner, a motion man, and as a receiver, signing him for the remainder of the season is a no-brainer.