Things were going rather well last summer through the first two weeks of training camp for then-rookie wide receiver Calvin Austin III. Then things took a turn for the worse for the fourth-round pick out of Memphis.
Just one day before the preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks, Austin suffered a significant injury that landed him on Injured Reserve, ultimately keeping him out for the entire 2022 season.
Now, back in training camp once again with the Steelers at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Austin is turning heads once again, making explosive plays offensively and earning praise from head coach Mike Tomlin.
Speaking with reporters following Sunday’s practice in just helmets after two straight days of pads, Tomlin stated that what he’s seen from Austin is “so far, so good” when it comes to his work as a receiver and not looking like a rookie out on the field.
“I’ve been challenging him, man. The, the big challenge for him is to perform out here in a setting like this, like a guy that’s been around here,” Tomlin said, according to video via Steelers.com. “He’s been around here but he hadn’t had physical reps and so there’s a challenge. So far, so good. He’s not performing like a rookie. He’s performing like a guy that’s been in the program and that’s encouraging.”
So far it certainly has been pretty good for Austin, who continues to make a number of explosive plays.
After getting some reps in training camp last season before the injury and then being able to be around the Steelers all season while rehabbing, Austin was able to fully integrate into the system — mentally — while establishing off-the-field relationships with teammates.
That has helped him hit the ground running in training camp this summer, which has led to some rather strong days from the small, speedy wide receiver. Tomlin has challenged Austin to become a playmaker, perform like an experienced player and carve out a role. As Tomlin said, so far, so good from the explosive playmaker.
Hopefully it can continue into actual preseason action and then on into the regular season. The Steelers need that explosive playmaking. Austin can be part of the answer.
