WR Calvin Austin III came out with a bang in his NFL debut, catching two passes on four targets for 73 yards and a touchdown while getting two carries for an additional 23 yards. Austin’s splash play of the night came on a 67-yard touchdown pass from QB Mason Rudolph, running right past the defensive back tasked with covering him. Austin showed off his speed and acceleration on the play, giving Steelers fans a glimpse of the player they thought they were getting in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
OC Matt Canada spoke to the media on Sunday prior to practice and was asked about Austin’s performance. Canada responded that he was pleased with the young receiver’s night but also noted it was much-needed playing time that Austin didn’t get the opportunity to have last year.
“I thought Calvin had a good night,” Canada said via video from Steelers.com. “But it’s very, very crucial to get Calvin on the field in game situations because he didn’t have that last year. We need Calvin to play like a second-year player who didn’t have a first year. And that’s a challenging situation he has to answer the bell for. So, I think we were happy with the way he did that. You know, there again, there’s always things that we’re talking about over there that we’re not talking about here. But as a general feeling for the first game, you know, we were happy with where Calvin was that and the things he showed.”
Austin missed his entire rookie season with a foot injury he suffered in training camp, forcing him to have season-ending surgery and to be placed on IR. Therefore, Austin is essentially entering his rookie season when it comes to first in-game exposure on an NFL field, having been around practices in 2022 but never logged a preseason or regular-season snap.
Canada is right that Austin needs as much exposure in the preseason as possible to make up for lost time, and the Steelers are hopefully ramping him up to be a meaningful contributor on offense during the regular season. The Steelers’ top three wide receivers are set with Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, and Allen Robinson II, but they still need Austin’s skill set as a deep threat and YAC receiver to add a dynamic the offense didn’t have a season ago. It was a great first step in the right direction for Austin in his first NFL game, but now that needs to continue through the preseason as he becomes the player he is capable of becoming.
