While Pittsburgh Steelers WR Calvin Austin III didn’t post gaudy numbers, the fact he saw the field in 2023 was encouraging enough. Drafted in 2022 with a lost rookie season, a foot injury suffered in camp and aggravated mid-season, Austin’s first NFL snaps came this year. And his patience paid off.
Earlier this week, Austin took to Instagram to sum up his year with the Steelers.
“Year 2, or 1, however you choose to view it was a blessing beyond measure. God allowed me to live out my dream day by day, week by week. This journey is humbling yet rewarding and the mountaintop will be worth the climb. Pressing forward to the next one…”
Austin’s first year on the field saw him finish with 17 receptions on 30 targets for 180 yards and one touchdown. The score was a big one and responsible for 40 percent of his seasonal yards, a 72-yard touchdown in Week 3’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
But he went quiet after that. Over his next 14 regular season games, he had more rushing attempts (10) than receptions (eight) and nearly had more rushing yards (59) than he did receiving (61) with his lone touchdown coming on the ground. Over his final 13 games, he couldn’t crack 20 yards and was held without a catch in nine of them.
In fairness, Diontae Johnson’s early season injury opened the door for Austin to play. And when Johnson returned following the bye, his snaps shriveled up. But Pittsburgh didn’t have a compelling reason to find him snaps or get him the football outside of a handful of jet sweeps. Austin has straight-line speed, still plenty fast even after rookie foot surgery, but there might not be much else. He’s quick, sure, but not exceptionally so relative to his size. Not like a Rondale Moore or Zay Flowers, someone with the lateral agility to make defenders grab air.
Austin’s catch radius is small and passes have to be thrown right on his frame, between the one and the nine, for him to reliably haul it in. A lack of size doesn’t make him an asset over the middle, limiting his route tree, and he goes down far too easily on first contact.
It’s veering into a harsh critique of Austin celebrating his first year playing. No doubt, he should be proud of that. Getting injured in camp like he did in 2022 is difficult and spending the year on IR can be lonely, especially as a rookie where you’re a layer removed from teammates, focusing on rehab and recovery instead of practicing with your team. He got himself healthy and on the field to play the entire season.
There were other positive aspects of his game, a willing blocker and high-effort player (we dedicated a video to it) and had a moment or two as a punt returner with at least one solid runback negated by penalty. He also finished the year with a touchdown, catching the Steelers’ final score of the year in the Wild Card loss against Buffalo.
If 2024 is to be treated like Year One, then 2025 should be treated like Year Two. Meaning, it’s reasonable to expect a jump in his play come training camp. With WR Allen Robinson unlikely to return, at least not under his current contract, there could be a chance for Austin to expand his playing time. Pittsburgh has gotten minimal production from their slot receivers the last two years and someone has to fix that. Or else the Steelers will find someone who will.
