This has been a pretty good year so far for WR Calvin Austin III. The second-year man appears well on his way to relevance after missing his rookie season with the Pittsburgh Steelers a year ago. While the year began continuing his recovery from a foot injury, it’s been a steady upward trajectory since then.
The 2022 fourth-round pick has found ways to make an impact through the first two weeks of the preseason. He had a 67-yard touchdown reception in the first game, along with a 17-yard jet sweep. Last week, he broke off a punt return for 54 yards and added a 12-yard reception to convert on third-and-3.
“I’m feeling good”, he told reporters yesterday when asked about having the opportunity to finally make some plays on the football field, via the team’s website. “I feel like each play was just me doing what I’m supposed to do. I’m feeling good, but I’ve got to put that behind me and continue to go out there and work and become a better player”.
A standout with the Memphis Tigers, Austin got the Steelers’ attention primarily with his sheer speed and quickness. He ran a 4.32-second 40-yard dash at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine. While there were fears he might lose some of his speed coming off the foot injury, he has looked plenty fast on the field so far.
So far, he has proven not only that his speed is intact but that he can make the catch down the field. He’s displayed a more varied route tree and has logged a healthy percentage of offensive snaps in the slot, about a two-to-one ratio outside to inside.
On Saturday, of course, he got the opportunity to work in punt returns. Head coach Mike Tomlin listed him as the first-team punt and kick returner on his first official depth chart but did not give the young receiver the chance to make good on it. Well, his first touch as a special teams contributor gave Pittsburgh the ball on the opposing 25-yard line.
He is doing all the things the Steelers hoped and expected he would do when they drafted him. Of course, it’s still just the preseason and he is going to have to prove that he can replicate that against regular-season defenses that actually have a game plan. And he’s going to have to do it repeatedly.
But it’s a matter of one step at a time. At this point, he has clearly earned the right to have a role this year, or to be given that shot. If he keeps performing, he will earn a bigger and bigger role. Nobody else on the roster has his sheer speed as a deep threat, so he has that value. Now it’s about what else he can do, and how consistently well he can do it.
