At this point, there have been more offseason articles written about Pittsburgh Steelers WR Calvin Austin III than he’s had NFL practices. But if you want to keep the hype train rolling, NFL insider Adam Caplan can be your conductor. Appearing on Ferrall Coast to Coast podcast hosted by Scott Ferrall, Caplan offered an optimistic view of the Steelers’ offense, one that could get better with Austin’s inclusion.
Echoing what we’ve heard about Austin throughout the offseason, Caplan has heard good things about the second-year wideout.
“They addressed their receiver corps,” Caplan said. “They have depth now. Allen Robinson. Calvin Austin, who I was told was terrific in OTAs.”
Austin was reportedly healthy and available during the team’s spring workouts, fully participating after recovering from foot surgery last season. The team’s fourth-round pick in 2022, Austin never made it to even a preseason game before suffering a foot injury mid-way through training camp. He got healthy enough to return to practice during the season but reinjured his foot, needing surgery that shut down his year.
Prior to getting hurt, Austin showed glimpses of speed and big-play ability in practice. In this year’s OTAs, he continued to flash that speed, catching veteran CB Patrick Peterson off-guard in their first matchup.
While these reports are encouraging, they’re still just practice. It’s nearly impossible to evaluate Austin more than a year into his NFL career given the fact he’s yet to strap on a helmet inside a stadium. If healthy, he should be able to win horizontally and vertically from the slot and occasionally on the outside. Austin should also be in the mix in the kick and punt return game that currently doesn’t offer much in the way of competition.
Austin won’t be a major or consistent part of the Steelers’ offense but he feels like a brand new draft pick added to the offense. He’s a great complement to a veteran like Robinson, no longer dynamic but capable of winning underneath and leveraging himself against zone coverage. If Austin can play like hoped while George Pickens progresses and Diontae Johnson returns to form, the Steelers’ offense can finally get over the hump and put points on the board.
Catch the whole conversation below.
