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The Green Bay Packers have reportedly signed wide receiver Tavon Austin, giving them a new option in the second leg and, potentially, a much-needed injection of speed on offense.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo first reported the news, which has since been confirmed by beat writer Tom Silverstein. Austin, a 5-foot-8, 179-pound wide receiver from West Virginia, hasn’t played in an NFL game this season but spent time with the 49ers earlier this year. Eighth overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, Austin also never found a huge role in attacking career stoppages with the Rams or Cowboys, but has been a fairly reliable comeback threat throughout. throughout his career.
Presumably, that’s where he’ll get his first opportunities with the Packers. While Tyler Ervin suffered for much of the past month, the Packers turned to a combination of Darrius Shepherd, Josh Jackson and Malik Taylor to throw kicks and kicks. They did nothing more than catch the ball, and sometimes even failed.
Austin, meanwhile, is averaging 7.9 yards on punt returns. He should at least stabilize the second leg when he makes his way to the active roster – although that’s not a given. Austin’s first stop may be on the practice squad, and there’s no guarantee he’ll ever make it to the 53-man roster, especially if Ervin is in good health.
It’s also possible that Austin could fit in more fully as Tyler Ervin in the Matt LaFleur attack. It’s easy to visualize the speed of a pint-sized Austin performing a jet sweeping motion through the formation, just like Ervin did. Even though Ervin (or Austin) rarely gets the ball, the threat of speed is often enough to move the defense.
Either way, Austin’s high timed speed (4.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash in the 2013 NFL Combine) is a standout attribute. Given the Packers’ constant issues with speed in all phases of the game, adding a player who can move around in a hurry could present some intriguing options – whether they ultimately play a big role or not.
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