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Receivers that Washington should consider signing after the Kelvin Harmon injury

By Jacob Camenker

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 22: Wide receiver Malik Turner #17 of the Seattle Seahawks carries the ball against the defense of the Arizona Cardinals during the game at CenturyLink Field on December 22, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 22: Wide receiver Malik Turner #17 of the Seattle Seahawks carries the ball against the defense of the Arizona Cardinals during the game at CenturyLink Field on December 22, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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ARLINGTON, TEXAS – DECEMBER 15: Tavon Austin #10 of the Dallas Cowboys runs for a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams in the second quarter at AT&T Stadium on December 15, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – DECEMBER 15: Tavon Austin #10 of the Dallas Cowboys runs for a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams in the second quarter at AT&T Stadium on December 15, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

4. Tavon Austin

At this point in his career, Tavon Austin is what he is. The 29-year-old was once the No. 8 overall pick in the historically weak 2013 NFL Draft class, but now, he’s mostly a deep threat.

Standing at 5-8, 179 pounds, Austin isn’t a big guy. So from that perspective, he wouldn’t help replace Harmon’s presence at all. But Austin is fast. Austin is versatile. And there’s at least a chance that Austin could end up making the roster which could prompt a team to sign him.

Last year for the Cowboys, Austin logged 13 catches for 177 yards and a touchdown in 14 games while posting 47 yards and a touchdown on six carries. That’s not massive production, but considering that he only played 27 percent of the snaps, it’s not bad either.

In Washington, Austin could challenge for a role in the receiving corps and has the versatility to line up at the running back position as well. That’s something that could intrigue offensive coordinator Scott Turner, given that he likes to get balls to running backs out of the backfield. So, Austin could, in essence, be a backup receiver and back, work on special teams, and have a presence as a speedy gadget player to open up things a bit more in the Washington offense.

Of course, one could argue that between Antonio Gibson, J.D. McKissic, and Steven Sims, the team already has enough players capable of seeing action in the backfield or split out wide. But depth never hurts and adding Austin on a minimum contract just to see what he can do might be worthwhile. Again, there are better options and he certainly isn’t a guaranteed upgrade to the team’s depth, but why not swing for the fences and add one more guy like Austin to the barren receiver room?

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