Calvin Austin III has a lot to prove going into his third season for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 2022 fourth-round draft pick has little in the way of highlights relative to usage rate. But how much is that on him, and how much is on how the Steelers have used him?
A 5-9 speedster whose college experience came primarily as an outside threat, determining his best usage can be tricky. It’s fair to say the Steelers did not manage to accomplish that in 2023. He spent his rookie season on the Reserve/Injured List, which never helps. Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette does believe it’s fair to call how he has been used into question, though.
“I think a lot of that was misusage”, he said on 93.7 The Fan with Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller. “They had him outside running fade patterns and trying to body up on corners. That’s now how he would fit. Maybe with a new OC, they could find a better way to use him”.
Austin finished his first season on the 53-man roster with 17 catches on 30 targets for 180 yards. He scored two touchdowns, one on a 72-yard catch in Week Three. He scored on a rushing play against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16. And he added one reception for a seven-yard touchdown in the Steelers’ Wild Card Round loss to the Buffalo Bills.
The Steelers never managed to really take advantage of Austin’s speed. Beyond that one early play, his longest reception was 13 yards. When QB Kenny Pickett tried to hit him on the same play design, the defense jumped on it.
Austin drew seven deep targets during the 2023 season with just the one catch, according to Pro Football Focus. He didn’t drop any of the passes that fell incomplete—they just didn’t connect. Including the interception, three of the six incompletions drew contests from the defense.
It all adds up to at best an unknown commodity going into his third season. With Allen Robinson II unlikely to remain with a $10 million base salary in 2023, the Steelers have a hole. They need at least one more wide receiver to pair with Diontae Johnson and George Pickens. And they can’t count on Austin to be in that mix, Fittipaldo believes.
“Even if he does come onto the scene a little bit more this year, I don’t know that he’s a number three receiver”, he said. “You need a legit number three receiver to come in here during free agency. And you need to draft one, too, a guy who can develop and eventually take over for Diontae Johnson”.
One veteran name that intrigues me this offseason is Cincinnati Bengals WR Tyler Boyd. The Pittsburgh-area native could give them a stable slot presence, at least. But he is far from the only name. Nor is he the only name who should fetch less than Robinson’s $10 million.
As for Austin, he certainly still has room to grow. He could emerge as a quality number three receiver. But the Steelers can’t work under that assumption this offseason. He is their starting punt returner, for now, but anything he gives them on offense is gravy.
