Activation of Steelers WR Calvin Austin ‘possible,’ but ‘he’s a little rusty’

Speedy rookie Calvin Austin III could be worth a shot to help jumpstart the Pittsburgh Steelers’ ailing offense. But with two additional weeks remaining before he must be activated off the injured reserve list, Austin’s NFL debut isn’t necessarily coming Sunday.

“It’s still possible,” offensive coordinator Matt Canada said Thursday. “Obviously, he missed a lot and it’s hard on both fronts. He comes back a little bit rusty, and just getting back into full speed and then jumping on, as Coach (Mike Tomlin) always says, a moving train, I think there’s some validity to that. What reps you can take from somebody else when we’re kind of where we are right now?”

A fourth-round pick and one of the fastest players in the draft, Austin was making plays during training camp at Saint Vincent but suffered a foot injury just prior to the preseason opener and opened the regular season on injured reserve. He returned to practice last week, and the Steelers have until Oct. 26 to add him to the 53-man roster or Austin must be on IR the remainder of the season.

“We’re pushing to see how quick we can get him back and where he fits,” Canada said.

Austin has been repping on both offense and as a punt and kick returner during practices. But Tomlin is on record that Steven Sims will handle return duties for Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

If Austin is activated, of course, a player must be removed from the active roster.

“I think I can just bring a speed element,” Austin said, “to open up some one-on-ones and provide a mismatch. Obviously, I feel like if I can get the ball in my hands, I can be a playmaker.”

Adding Austin to the 53-man roster — whenever it comes — likely will happen at the expense of Gunner Olszewski, who was benched after two fumbles on returns over a three-week span. Sims took Olszewski’s spot on the gameday roster, and Canada didn’t summarily rule out both Sims and Austin having a role on offense.

“I’m just continuing to work on my routes, continuing to work on learning the offense,” Austin said of his practice time. “I have been in it the whole time, so I am not behind on anything. But I want to just continue to work on my game just to show I can be consistent.

“I know the decision will be made soon, and it will be at the right moment.”

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