If we learned just one thing about Pittsburgh Steelers WR Calvin Austin III during the recently concluded preseason slate, it’s that he’s now fully healthy after missing his 2022 rookie season with a foot injury that required surgery. If we learned a second thing about Austin during the preseason, it’s that he’s primed to deliver explosive plays for the Steelers in 2023. If we learned a third thing during the preseason about Austin, it’s that he’s primed to be the team’s punt returner in 2023.
Austin, originally selected by the Steelers in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Memphis, had five punt returns during the preseason for 107 yards with a long of 54 yards, an average of 21.4 yards per return. How impressive are those preseason punt return stats? Well, for starters the leading punt returner in the NFL last season was Detroit Lions WR Kalif Raymond with an average of 13.2 yards per return. On top of that, the Steelers averaged just 5.9 yards per punt return in 2022.
An interesting aspect when it comes to Austin and punt returning is the fact that he didn’t do much of it during his college career. In fact, he had just 29 punt returns for 323 yards in four seasons at Memphis and in only one season did he return more than five, 2020. He did, however, return two of those 29 punt returns in college for touchdowns.
The last time the Steelers had anything to write home about when it comes to a punt returner was in 2020 when WR Ray-Ray McCloud averaged 10.3 yards per return on 29 opportunities. That ranked him fourth overall in the NFL that season. Strangely enough, current Steelers WR Gunner Olszewski led the NFL in punt return average in 2022 at 17.3 yards as a member of the New England Patriots. Olszewski, who signed with the Steelers last offseason, averaged just 6.9 yards per return in 2022 on eight total opportunities. He also fumbled a few times and that led to him being replaced on returns by WR Steven Sims.
For the Steelers to legitimately compete for a playoff spot in 2023, they’ll need solid play in all three phases of the game. Austin figures to help in the punt return phase and based on what we saw during the preseason, he has a plausible shot at being the NFL’s top punt returner in 2023. If he can achieve such a lofty outlook, Austin could very well wind up being named an All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection. That’s plausible, but he’ll likely need to average around 15 yards per return in 2023 and take at least two back for touchdowns.
Obviously, the excitement concerning Austin doesn’t stop at punt returns as the young wide receiver managed to show during the preseason that he can be a contributor on offense as well. In total, Austin registered four catches for 93 yards and a touchdown during the recently concluded preseason with one of those catches going for a 67-yard touchdown. He also had three carries for 26 yards, and he figures to be used as part of the Steelers jet sweep attack during the 2023 season.
In case you didn’t already know it, Austin recorded an explosive play once nearly every four touches during his college career at Memphis. To be more precise, once every 3.8 touches. If he can register such an average for the Steelers on offense in 2023, it’d go a long way in helping the team make a run at the playoffs.
