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Christmas is just under a month away, but Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur has a new toy to play with on offense.
According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Packers sign a veteran wide receiver and send man Tavon Austin to the active roster. Austin has spent the last two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, recording 317 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns on 21 receptions. Before coming to Green Bay, Austin signed with the San Francisco 49ers before being released via an injury settlement in October.
Austin could potentially be another gadget player and specialist for the Packers. Dating back to last season, Tyler Ervin has served as an attacking chess piece but injuries have forced him to miss games several times this season.
Ervin is currently suffering from rib / wrist injuries and missed Sunday night’s game against the Chicago Bears. Ervin also missed Weeks 6 and 7, so at the very least Austin will provide insurance for an important position within the Green Bay offense.
In 411 career touches, Austin has totaled 3,346 yards and 25 offensive touchdowns, plus 185 punt returns and 25 punt returns in 96 career games, including three punt returns for touchdowns.
Some of the Austin films from previous years may offer a glimpse of what the Packers have in store for their new, fast wide receiver.
We know Matt LaFleur loves to use the pre-snap movement, and Austin is a perfect fit for the role. Here the Cowboys are running an option play and Dak Prescott gets the ground for Austin. Austin started the room with an orbiting motion to help him enter space. From there, he took care of the rest once the ball was in his hands.
Austin isn’t known for his receiving prowess, but his speed is advertised. If you put him in a one-on-one-to-a-corner situation, there’s a chance Austin could run through him. On this play, he stacks the corner within five yards of the line of scrimmage. The Packers have used wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling as their main deep threat this season, but Austin could provide an additional option.
LaFleur likes to sprinkle wrinkles from time to time in attack. If he wants to use Austin on jet sweeps, turns, or wide receiver reversals, he has that luxury. Getting Austin into space is essential to its success. Once he has enough room to mess the guys up, it’s a circuit game waiting to happen.
The Packers recently benched punt turner Darrius Shepherd for his fumble against the Indianapolis Colts. Austin hasn’t returned a kick since 2017, but it could be used on punts. In each of his first three seasons, Austin returned a punt for a touchdown. His longest was in 2013 as a rookie against the Colts. Austin sees that the shooter may have a chance to get the ball down inside the five-yard line, so he catches the ball on the jump and pushes his way down the sideline. After missing the first guys, Austin left for the races.
LaFleur should know Austin’s skills after spending time with him in 2017 with the Los Angeles Rams. LaFleur will have a lot of fun figuring out ways to get the ball back to Austin. His explosive speed and quickness over a short area are weapons even in small doses and could add another element to an already frightening Packers attack.
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