The new Tavon Austin is going to remind everyone of the old Tavon Austin, according to the Buffalo Bills' newest receiver, Tavon Austin.
Austin, 32, referred to himself in the third person quite a bit during his press conference at OTAs on Tuesday, when he made it clear that the healed body he brought with him to Orchard Park was nothing like the broken one that let him down. That led to his departure from the Los Angeles Rams and a reserve role for the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers and Jacksonville Jaguars over the previous four seasons.
After signing a one-year, prove-it deal with the Bills last week, the veteran enters his 10th NFL season knowing he won't get many opportunities. After all, the Bills feature accomplished receivers like Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis and Jamison Crowder, tight ends Dawson Knox and O.J. Howard and running backs Devin Singletary and Duke Johnson.
That doesn't matter, according to Austin, "because the one thing about it is if you make plays, the ball will find you," he said, "and that's the God's honest truth. You know, it ain't just about X's and O's. If you make plays the ball will find you."
Austin is open to making plays from any variety of positions, the way he used to in his first five seasons.
During his time with the Rams, Austin had nearly as many runs (184) as receptions (194) and also was their primary punt returner.
He's healthy enough now, he insists, to be able to do the same for the Bills, if that's what they want.
"I took some tough injuries back in the day when I was with the Rams," Austin said. "and they kind of like turned my career a little bit. I feel like a lot of people forgot about Tavon Austin. I can honestly say I'm healthy now and I am looking forward to doing those types of things out the backfield, slot or outside or whatever the team may need. ... I just know my skill set, I know mentally where I'm at and I know physically where I'm at."
That would be, in a word, "ready."
General manager Brandon Beane agrees.
If not, he never would have added him to the mix to create a kind of puzzling logjam of slot candidates that also includes Crowder, Isaiah McKenzie, Marquez Stevenson and rookie Khalil Shakir.
"I'll tell you what," Beane said. "He really showed good speed and burst, that he's still got it. ... So it's really just about adding competition to the group. It's not that anyone wasn't doing anything. We needed to make it stronger there."
Austin could have the best possible stage to prove his worth again, even if he might not see the football very often.
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