Like Calvin Austin III, the Pittsburgh Steelers are right where we are: sitting at home being mad. Although they managed to make the playoffs in 2023, they lost in the first round. It has now been seven years without a postseason victory, the longest drought in franchise history. The question is what to do next.
The first step is always taking stock of what happened and what is left. That’s part of the exit meeting process, in which coaches meet with each player. They discuss the season and their expectations moving forward—and potentially their role within it.
While we might not know all the details about what goes on between head coach Mike Tomlin and his players during these exit meetings, we do know how we would conduct those meetings if they were let up to us. So here are the Depot’s exit meetings for the Steelers’ roster following the 2023 season.
Player: Calvin Austin III
Position: Wide Receiver
Experience: 2 Years
What did Calvin Austin III show in 2023? It’s hard to say, really. The most significant thing is he proved his foot injury didn’t burden him. He spent his rookie season on the Reserve/Injured List because of it and eventually had surgery. But he didn’t look any worse off for it in terms of speed and elusiveness.
We should probably remember that punt returner was Austin’s primary job last year, not wide receiver. Yes, he played more on offense, but not proportionally. He returned 29 kicks in all, if only for just 249 yards. His 8.6-yard punt return average is barely respectable, but he notably resisted fair catches.
He only called for 12 fair catches overall. Comparatively few relative to others with a similar return rate. On top of that, he also showed intelligence in terms of when to let the ball bounce. Only one player with as many returns had fewer fair catches. In other words, he took what he could get more often than not, and that hurt his average.
As a receiver, his playing time varied. He worked early after Diontae Johnson’s injury and managed a 72-yard touchdown. But he finished the season with 17 catches on 30 targets for 180 yards and one score. The Steelers also used him as a jet sweep option, Austin recording 11 carries for 57 yards and one touchdown. Although he only caught one pass in the playoffs, that went for a seven-yard score.
With the Steelers unlikely to retain Allen Robinson II with his $10 million base salary, Austin is a significant figure this offseason. Do the coaches feel he can develop into a regular third receiver? I don’t expect they are going to operate under that assumption. They could address the position both in free agency and the draft.
