On Thursday, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin spoke to the media in a press conference prior to the team’s Week Two matchup against the Buffalo Bills at Acrisure Stadium.
In his opening comments, Tomlin highlighted the team’s intentions regarding the return game and specifically mentioned RB Anthony McFarland Jr. and WR Calvin Austin III as two guys he looks forward to watching in their respective roles on special teams.
“Really excited about seeing the specialists work,” Tomlin said to the media Thursday on video from the team’s YouTube channel. “Last week we played the younger new specialists. This week, we’re playing the guys who have Steeler experience. Looking forward to watching those guys execute. Specifically in the return game, really interesting in Anthony McFarland as a kick returner and Calvin Austin as a punt returner. We focused their efforts last week on their offensive contributions, particularly in the first half of the game. We’re really going to be interested in their special teams contributions, those two in particular, this week.”
While both McFarland and Austin are technically veteran players, neither is truly experienced when it comes to contributing in the return game for Pittsburgh. Austin missed his entire rookie season with a foot injury and just made his NFL debut last week in Tampa. McFarland has been with Pittsburgh since 2020 but has only returned three kickoffs for 73 yards for his NFL career.
Still, both guys have the skill set to contribute as returners in their respective roles. McFarland has the speed and burst in the open field to be a viable returner on kickoffs if he gets room to work. Austin, meanwhile, was an accomplished punt returner coming out of Memphis, returning 29 punts for 323 yards (11.1 YPR) and two touchdowns in his final two seasons.
Given that McFarland is currently projected to make this team as Pittsburgh’s No. 3 running back and Austin is a lock to make the 53-man roster, it only makes sense for Tomlin to be interested in seeing what each guy brings to the table in the return game. WR Gunner Olszewski was brought in to be this team’s return specialist last season, but he failed to live up to expectations. Given the rule changes when it comes to kickoffs and Austin’s background as a punt returner, the Steelers could afford to cut Olszewski and roll with Austin and McFarland as their primary return specialists should they prove themselves capable this preseason.
Both McFarland and Austin made big plays offensively last week against Tampa Bay. Now Tomlin and the staff want to see the two do it again on special teams.
