While WR George Pickens may have opened the game with a 33-yard catch from QB Kenny Pickett last Friday against the Buccaneers, it was WR Calvin Austin III who stole the show. Austin led the team with two receptions for 73 yards, including a 67-yard scoring bomb from QB Mason Rudolph. He also led Pittsburgh in rushing yards with 23 yards on two carries.
It was a big coming out party for Austin who missed the entire 2022 season with a foot injury, effectively never seeing a snap, preseason or regular season, during his rookie campaign. Austin’s performance has caught the eye of several analysts over the last several days, including Steve Palazzolo of Pro Football Focus who spoke glowingly about Austin on PFF’s Week 1 NFL Preseason review show with co-host Sam Monson.
“You’ve got Calvin Austin as a deep threat,” Palazzolo said on video from PFF’s YouTube channel, “I really enjoyed his tape coming out. Speed, quicks. If he becomes the Kalif Raymond in that offense…Kalif Raymond from the Lions, who is just speed, deep threat. They take 2-3 shots to him per game, and that has been very successful for the Lions’ offense the last few years. I think Calvin Austin can be that guy for the Steelers, plus some of the other stuff he does with jet sweeps.”
Raymond may not be a household name in the NFL, but his role with the Lions the last two seasons has been notable as an undersized, speedy deep threat. Raymond has been a journeyman since entering the league in 2016 as a UDFA out of Holy Cross, playing with the Broncos, Giants, Jets, Titans, and Lions. After bouncing around the league the first few years, Raymond has found a home in Detroit, becoming that deep threat in their offense. Last season, Raymond caught 47 passes for 616 yards after catching 48 passes for 575 yards and four touchdowns the season before.
Austin is built in a similar mold as Raymond, having similar size and athletic profile. We saw a glimpse of the deep threat Austin can be against Tampa Bay while also being incorporated in the screen game as well on jet sweeps. While Austin may not become a high target earner in Pittsburgh’s offense, he doesn’t need to be. The Steelers have WRs Diontae Johnson and Pickens to fill those roles. However, they need that dynamic deep threat that can create after the catch. Austin can be that guy who gets three to four opportunities a game with the potential to create fireworks anytime he touches the ball.
