Another injury to Tyler Ervin – the Green Bay Packers’ primary returner and jet sweep option – should shine the spotlight on newcomer Tavon Austin, who was inactive during the Packers’ win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday but could suddenly be an important player if Ervin has to miss significant time.
Ervin, who returned from a ribs injury, suffered an ankle injury against the Eagles. He left the game and didn’t return. On Monday, coach Matt LaFleur expressed concern about Ervin’s ability to play this Sunday against the Detroit Lions.
If Ervin has to miss another game – and he’s missed four already this season – the Packers may turn to Austin to fill his role, possibly on offense but almost certainly on special teams.
LaFleur said Austin’s return ability was one of the “main reasons” the Packers signed him. So was familiarity, created by the 2017 season when LaFleur and Austin worked together in Los Angeles.
With the Rams, Austin carried the ball in a variety of ways and was used both on jet sweeps and in the return game. In 2017, he turned 72 touches on offense into 317 yards and a touchdown, and he returned 12 punts for 53 yards.
In his career, Austin has 411 total touches on offense, 185 punt returns and 28 total touchdowns.
The Packers made Austin inactive on Sunday, likely due to Ervin’s return and the overall health of the football team. Now, Ervin is down and the Packers are dealing with a handful of new injuries, likely creating an opportunity for Austin to get on the field for the first time since late December of last year.
Also, Austin will have a full week to digest the gameplan and be ready for Sunday, even if it’s in a small or specific role.
All along, Austin’s signing looked like an insurance policy for Ervin, who dealt with wrist and ribs injuries this season before Sunday’s ankle issue. His impact – both as a returner and in the motion game on offense – is important to what the Packers do each week. Austin is ideally suited for helping in both areas.
It took only a week, but the insurance policy on Ervin might already pay off. It could be Tavon Austin time on Sunday.