Rookie wide receiver Calvin Austin III has missed a chunk of the summer due to a foot injury. While it’s unclear the nature and severity of what he’s dealing with, he told reporters after practice Monday that he is feeling good. That comes courtesy of the PPG’s Brian Batko, who tweeted out what Austin told him today.
Based on Austin’s comments on awaiting word from Mike Tomlin, we can safely assume Austin did not practice Monday. Austin evidently was injured late Thursday or the Friday before the team’s preseason opener against Seattle, not suiting up for that game. He sat out the final week of training camp and missed Saturday’s win over Jacksonville. As we’ve reported, the good news is Austin moved around find during training camp, walking down the stairs without a boot, brace, or any noticeable limp. To stay active, he caught stationary passes from assistant coaches early on during practice.
Though it’s difficult to say with certainty, Austin’s injury doesn’t appear season-ending. In fact, it sounds like there’s a chance he could play in the preseason finale this Sunday against the Detroit Lions. But that would require him getting some practice time later this week, probably suiting up no later than Thursday, to be deemed ready for game action.
Austin performed well in training camp prior to his injury, showcasing his speed and quickness in the short passing game and vertically. He was seeing regular reps as a backup slot receiver. Currently, Chase Claypool and Gunner Olszewski have seen the bulk of the work inside. The sooner Austin is cleared, the better, to make it easier to catch the moving train before the regular season kicks off three weeks from now. If he can’t get cleared soon, there’s a good chance he’ll begin the season as a gameday inactive with Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, Miles Boykin, Claypool, and Olszewski getting the hat over him.
