Steelers A to Z: Time for speedy Calvin Austin III to seize prominent role in WR crops

Editor’s note: From now until the first practice of training camp at Saint Vincent College, TribLive is running through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, looking at each player and assessing his outlook for the 2024 season. The breakdown will run in alphabetical order with at least two players each day between June 14 and July 25. Contract data courtesy spotrac.com.

WR CALVIN AUSTIN III

Experience/age: 3rd season, 25

Contract status: $1.11 million cap hit in 2024, signed through 2025

The past: A former champion sprinter in college, it’s easy to see why Austin has the ability to make an impact in the NFL. A quick look at his (charitably listed) height (5-foot-9) and weight (175) makes it clear why he was a mere mid-round draft pick and has yet to establish himself two years into his career with the Steelers.

After opening eyes with his playmaking abilities on the Saint Vincent College practice fields, Austin missed all of his 2022 rookie season because of a foot injury suffered just before the preseason opener. The injury was aggravated during his attempted comeback midway through that season, making Austin a virtual “redshirt.” Austin spoke of learning from soaking in as much as he could during that year without action, and it appeared to pay dividends during his first game action as a pro when he caught a 67-yard touchdown pass in his preseason debut. After having six catches (albeit for a paltry 37 yards) in his regular-season debut a month later, during his third NFL game Austin caught a 72-yard touchdown pass on a deep route.

At that point, Austin had the look of a dynamic piece of the offense. But that did not materialize the rest of the year. Over the final 13 games, Austin had just five catches for 37 yards and nine rushes for 54 yards. Though one of those carries went for a 7-yard touchdown during a December win against Cincinnati, Austin managed just two plays from scrimmage that netted more than 10 yards over the final 13 games. He showed flashes as a punt returner but finished with a mediocre 8.7-yard average on returns that ranked 18th in the NFL.

Mason Rudolph going DEEP to Calvin Austin! ????

????: Stream #PITvsTB on NFL+ https://t.co/bBFpXewtKp pic.twitter.com/t1iEDecvoh

— NFL (@NFL) August 12, 2023

2024 outlook: Austin is in the mass of candidates to fill out the Steelers’ receiving corps after presumed No. 1 George Pickens. He’s the only returnee from last season among a group that includes rookie third-round pick Roman Wilson and veteran signees Van Jefferson, Scotty Miller and Quez Watkins — although practice-squad holdovers Denzel Mims and Dez Fitzpatrick also factor into the race to some degree for the WR2, WR3, WR4 and WR5 spots.

Austin is something of a wild card in that group in that (aside from Wilson) he is the biggest unknown. There perhaps might be some untapped potential in him — but he had better start showing it in games. The most likely outcome and best fit for Austin is that he makes the team not only for punt-return duties but because he’s an ideal depth receiver that a creative offensive coordinator (in this case, new hire Arthur Smith) should be able to unlock for some explosive plays. But can he be an every-down part of the offense? At this point, that seems unlikely.