Packers Looking At Adding Former 1st Round Wide Receiver
Aaron Rodgers has gotten the most out of his Green Bay Packers wide receivers this year, but many have been waiting for the team to add notable pieces around the star quarterback and wide receiver Davante Adams all year. Things have gotten even more dire, as Adams, Allen Lazard, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling have all dealt with nagging injuries this year.
Among the other injuries impacting the team this week is the loss of Tyler Ervin, a small backup running back that the team likes to utilize in the passing game. A potential replacement for him: former first-round pick Tavon Austin.
The West Virginia great was the No. 8 pick by the St. Louis Rams back in 2013. After a two year stint with the Dallas Cowboys, he signed with the San Francisco 49ers back over the summer, but was released due to injury.
According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the team is interested in bringing Austin in for a tryout this year. He had 218 total yards and two touchdowns for the Cowboys last season.
New from JSOnline and PackersNews: Davante Adams, Corey Linsley on track to play; Packers looking at Tavon Austin https://t.co/YHwzxpujAJ #Packers
— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) November 26, 2020
It is unclear if the team looks to sign Tavon Austin this week, or potentially down the road depending on how things progress with Ervin and other playmakers on the defense. From the report:
An NFL source said the Packers were slated to bring Austin in for a tryout sometime this week, although it was unclear whether they were interested in signing him or were just evaluating him to see if he might be able to help them later in the year.
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It’s possible the Packers are making sure they have options if Ervin gets hurt again. Austin, who was clocked in the 40-yard dash at 4.34 seconds at the 2013 combine, has returned kickoffs and punts during his career and could help the Packers out if they decided they didn’t want to expose Ervin to special teams anymore.
Ervin has 24 touches for 151 yards for the Green Bay Packers this season.
Green Bay faces the rival Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football this week. Adams, who has arguably been the best receiver in football this year when healthy, is expected to be okay to play, which is the most important thing for the offense, short of Aaron Rodgers’ presence.
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