With Ervin Injured, Austin Calls Signing ‘Perfect Timing’
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Timing is everything. Just ask new Green Bay Packers receiver Tavon Austin.
Austin, the eighth pack of the 2013 draft, signed with the Packers last week. He was inactive for Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles, when primary returner Tyler Ervin returned to action but suffered an injured ankle that might send him to injured reserve for the next three weeks.
Just like that, Austin figures to have a key role on special teams, if nothing else, for Sunday’s game at the Detroit Lions.
“At the end of the day, I’ve got to just keep it 100 with myself and just be honest,” Austin said last week. “Green Bay be doing their thing this year, even if I was here or not. Hopefully, I just come and add a little more threat to the offense, just free people open and sometimes I get the ball, as well, and show what I can do. I’m thankful. One thing I can say is I’m thankful. It’s been a long road for me through my injuries. It’s been a long road for somebody just really trusting in me.”
The 30-year-old Austin has caught 215 passes for 2,006 yards (9.3 average) and 15 touchdowns and carried 196 times for 1,340 yards (6.8 average) and 10 touchdowns. Plus, he has a career average of 7.9 yards with three touchdowns on punt returns.
Can he give Green Bay’s stagnant special teams a kick in the rear? The Packers are 29th in punt-return average and 31st in kickoff-return average. Ervin jump-started Green Bay’s special teams late last season but hasn’t had a bit of luck in terms of production (4.0 yards per punt return and 19.6 yards per kickoff return this year compared to 9.6 and 26.7, respectively, last year) or injuries (this will be the third time he’s been sidelined this season).
Perhaps, but Austin averaged merely 5.0 yards per punt return the past three seasons and returned only seven kickoffs for 53 yards since his rookie season.
However, Austin’s blazing speed and his eagerness to help a winning team could jump-start the return units, just like Ervin did upon being released by the Jets last year.
Plus, in time, Austin should be able to fill Ervin’s role as an offensive multitasker. Ervin averaged 5.2 yards on 13 carries and 7.6 yards on 11 receptions. The mere threat of getting the ball on a jet sweep at times opened up other parts of offense.
“When you can find roles for certain guys, offense, defense, special teams and you have guys that embrace those roles, you really empower them to get more,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said last week. “So, hopefully, we can find a specific role for him and get him going as soon as possible.”
That role should come on Sunday against Detroit. With a healthy Ervin, there was some question about how Austin would fit on offense and special teams. Not anymore.
“I’ve been battling,” Austin said. “My career has been up and down through injuries, through different coaches that I played for. I’ve kind of been bouncing around a lot as far as position, but just to be truly at heart I am a receiver and, to be honest, I am a running back, as well. It’s just about somebody really giving me the chance and really believing in me and letting me get comfortable and letting Ta do what he do best, how I did my whole life. It’s all it really was, them telling me they don’t really have a certain position for me. I am a receiver, I am an athlete, at the end of the day. So, I can play any position that the coaches draw up for me and put me in the best position to make plays.”
Meanwhile, a source confirmed an NFL Network report that defensive tackle Billy Winn’s triceps injury would not require season-ending surgery. He missed the entire 2019 season with a torn triceps. Winn figures to join Ervin on injured reserve. The timing was right for Austin and the timing will be right for Anthony Rush, who was signed last week.
