Getty Wide receiver Tavon Austin
Josh Gordon has garnered the majority of Giants fans’ attention in recent days. The likely soon-to-be reinstated wideout’s connections to Big Blue‘s coaching staff has led to plenty of speculation surrounding a potential reunion between him and his former position coach, Joe Judge, in New York.
While the addition of a big-bodied receiver to the team would certainly be welcomed, the reason I’ve personally somewhat pushed back at the idea of signing Gordon is due to his lack of special teams experience. With Golden Tate, Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard entrenched as the team’s top three wideouts, a 29-year-old fourth receiver who doesn’t add anything on special teams doesn’t seem like the most efficient of signings.
However, there is another wideout on the open market that may pique New York’s interest. One who also has ties to the Giants’ coaching staff and just so happens to have made a career out of his special teams prowess since entering the league as a top-10 selection back in 2013.
Tavon Austin Pegged as Potential Fit With Giants
There have been a few rumblings recently of the Giants adding a body or two to their receivers room prior to training camp starting. While no free agent at the moment would present the type splash some may believe the position group warrants, there is a slew of potential contributors available for the taking.
One of those players happens to be ex-Dallas Cowboys’ Tavon Austin, who ESNY’s Ryan Honey zeroed in on as a potential fit under his former head coach and current Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.
Here’s what he had to say:
Tavon Austin
I know, I know, Tavon Austin is nowhere near a tall option at 5-foot-8. Nonetheless, he has pure familiarity with Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, who was his head coach in Dallas from 2018-19. Thus, Austin knows Garrett’s playbook and could easily become accustomed to the gameplans.
…you have to admit connections mean something in this league. Austin’s prior relationship with Garrett along with his offensive playbook could lead to the 30-year-old potentially signing a cheap deal to come to East Rutherford.
Honey also listed 32-year old Demaryius Thomas and former Seahawk Jaron Brown as other potential signings.
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What Austin Would Bring to NY
Tavon Austin’s NFL career may have not gone the way he, nor the then-St. Louis Rams had hoped it would when the team used the 8th-overall selection on the former West Virginia standout back in the day.
However, seven years into his pro career and Austin has settled into his role as a reserve wideout, with gadget play traits and high-end return abilities. All things that the Giants could use at the moment.
New York lost Cody Latimer to the division rival Washington Redskins this offseason. While Latimer may seem nothing more than a spot-starter on the surface, losing Latimer also means losing a player who owned the eighth-highest kick return average in all of football this past season.
At the moment, the Giants appear hopeful Corey Coleman can fill that void, although he’s currently in the midst of returning from a torn ACL.
Austin’s special teams skills and knowledge of Garrett’s offensive system, all with a likely cheap price tag attached, seems like a win-win for both parties involved.