Steelers notes: Scotty Miller next up on punt return, Danny Smith’s message to Kaleb Johnson

After Calvin Austin III left Sunday’s Pittsburgh Steelers game because of a shoulder injury — one that is expected to cause him to miss game time — much of the conversation about replacing him is, naturally, related to his role as the No. 2 wide receiver.

But Austin has another recognizable role for games: punt returner.

On Sunday against the Vikings in Dublin, those duties defaulted to receiver Scotty Miller.

“So if (Austin) is not playing (in the Steelers’ next game Oct. 12), we’ll see,” Miller said. “I’ll definitely be ready to do that and just be excited for that opportunity to make some plays there as well.”

Miller said he has been the top backup punt returner each of the past two seasons. But Austin has remained healthy.

Miller regularly is part of the punt return lines at training camp, and he has gotten reps during preseason games with the Steelers the past two years. During the 2023 season while playing for the Atlanta Falcons, Miller was deployed as a returner a handful of times during the regular season. He had one official return during that season’s opener.

Miller did have seven punt returns while playing for Bowling Green in college.

“Throughout my career, I’ve always been able to do it but just never really had the opportunity,” Miller said. “So whenever you get the opportunity to get the ball in your hands, it’s something you take. If I get that chance, I’ll work hard at it and be ready for it.”

Special teams coordinator Danny Smith said early Tuesday that no decision had been made about who will return punts in Austin’s stead.

Injured reserve news?

Another potential option to return punts is rookie Donte Kent, who is a slot cornerback by trade but was drafted in the seventh round, in part, because of his punt-return skills.

Kent, though, opened the season on the injured reserve list because of a foot/ankle ailment. Kent said Tuesday he is feeling better but deferred any decision on his status to management.

Players on IR must miss a minimum of four games, so Kent and fellow rookie Will Howard are eligible to begin practicing. When they do return to the practice field, a 21-day window opens during which they must be added to the active roster or sit out the rest of the season.

Howard, a quarterback, on Tuesday said he recently resumed throwing.

“I am feeling good,” Howard said, adding he has lost about 10 pounds while rehabbing.

The Steelers are operating with only two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, albeit with veteran Logan Woodside on the practice squad.

Nothing needed to be said

Speaking to media for the first time since Kaleb Johnson’s mental gaffe on a kickoff return led to a Seattle Seahawks touchdown during the Sept. 14 home opener, Smith said Tuesday that he didn’t have to admonish Johnson during the game.

“Before I even got to Kaleb,” Smith said, “the players were at him.”

Steelers special teams coordinator Danny Smith on how he reacted to Kaleb Johnson’s kickoff-return gaffe vs SEA

(moreso, a hilarious impersonation of Connor Heyward’s reaction) pic.twitter.com/ZvdR8c8eTe

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) September 30, 2025

Smith impersonated tight end and special-teams standout Connor Heyward’s high-pitched scream at Johnson.

“We go over it all the time! We go over it all the time!”

Johnson, a rookie, apparently was unfamiliar with the NFL rule that a ball remains live on a kickoff even after it rolls into the end zone.

“We replaced him at that time. He wasn’t ready to go back on the field,” Smith said. “And I dealt with it the next day in a tape session.”