Special teams is an important aspect in the game of football. It can positively or negatively impact a game at the drop of the hat. Having a great kicker is super important but one aspect of special teams that is underrated is having an impact returner, and for the first time since Antonio Brown was returning punts, the Pittsburgh Steelers may have an impact punt returner in WR/PR Calvin Austin III.
Austin III showcased his big play ability in the punt return game this preseason with some huge returns including a 54-yard punt return against the Buffalo Bills. In total, Austin returned five punts this preseason for 107 yards. This led to an impressive average of 21.4 yards per return which if he can replicate those numbers in the regular season, they would be all-time great numbers. Obviously, that’s a small sample size and very unlikely to happen. Still, even if he averages a little less than half of that he will still be an impact punt returner.
While you have to take the preseason with a grain of salt, he also had some return experience in college for the Memphis Tigers. Austin totaled 29 punt returns in college for 323 yards and two touchdowns. In 2020 Austin averaged 9.4 yards per return, but in 2021 he averaged a whopping 27. A caveat to that though is he only returned five punts that year.
This season, Austin will be returning punts for Pittsburgh and he has serious speed. Austin ran a 4.32 40-yard dash at the NFL combine in 2022 and showcased he certainly has that speed in-game this preseason, with a 67-yard receiving touchdown on top of his return ability. He is a big play waiting to happen when the ball is in his hands and by having him return punts big plays can happen.
The Steelers haven’t had an elite punt returner since Antonio Brown back in the early-mid 2010s. Players such as Ryan Switzer, Diontae Johnson, Ray-Ray McCloud, and Steven Sims have all been tasked with returning punts but none have had a huge consistent impact. Some of those players had fumbling issues and others just really did nothing when the ball was in their hands. Austin has shown he can do big things with the ball in his hands, so all he has to do to be an impact punt returner is avoid fumbling. He did have three muffs on his 29 college return attempts per PFF, so there is a bit of a worry there but in preseason he showed no issues. It is something to monitor for sure, but not something to be majorly worried about to begin the season.
Austin’s being an impact returner can help Pittsburgh hit their ceiling and even win close games. A big return can flip the field and help an offense that last year struggled with explosive plays not have to travel as far to score. A starting drive on your opponent 45-yard line is way different than a starting drive on your own 35. It can change a drive that ends in a punt into one that at least ends in a field goal if the drive only picks up 10-15 yards.
So what would be a good punt return average for Austin this year? In Brown’s best seasons, he averaged 12.8 yards per return. If Austin can average a little over nine yards per attempt most people would be happy, especially if he can break one for a touchdown this year. The NFL leader this past season was Avery Williams who had an average of 16.2 yards per return. Expecting Austin to average that this year is unrealistic. He averaged 9.4 in 2020 when he returned 20 punts; for his first season in which he is healthy NFL he likely will finish around there.
If he can hit 9.4 yards per return or better and not fumble the football the Steelers will be ecstatic. Steven Sims, Pittsburgh’s main punt returner last season, averaged only 5.5 yards per return. A four-yard increase would be very well received and be around what Antonio Brown averaged throughout his career.
Nothing is guaranteed, but from preseason it looks like the Steelers finally have an impact punt returner. Calvin Austin III is primarily a receiver, but his punt return ability could have a huge impact on the 2023 Steelers.
