After missing his rookie season due to a foot injury suffered in training camp, wide receiver Calvin Austin III was able to make it through the entire 2023 season for the Pittsburgh Steelers, opening some eyes with some plays as a receiver and a punt returner.
In his first full season with the Steelers, Austin finished with 17 receptions for 180 yards and one touchdown. He also added a rushing touchdown and hauled in a receiving touchdown in the AFC Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills.
The 17 receptions for 180 yards and a touchdown look nice on paper for a No. 4 receiver, but 72 of those yards and the touchdown came on one reception, which occurred in Week 3 of the season on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders.
His snaps dwindled offensively as the season progressed, too. Austin played just 374 offensive snaps in 2023, good for just 34.92% of the Steelers’ offensive snaps. After seeing snap counts of 35, 41,45, 53 and 37 in the first five weeks of the season, Austin didn’t see another game with more than 20 snaps down the stretch, seeing 20 snaps against the New England Patriots in Week 14 on Thursday Night Football.
In the Wild Card loss to the Bills, Austin played just 27 offensive snaps.
Now, with the 2024 offseason underway, more is needed from Austin, especially if wide receiver Allen Robinson II is released this offseason to save a good chunk of money. Depth behind Diontae Johnson and George Pickens is a concern, and if Robinson is released Austin is the No. 3 receiver, at least on paper.
He knows he has a real opportunity in front of him, so he has a plan of attack for the offseason, he told Teresa Varley of Steelers.com.
“It excites me this offseason. I have a plan and know I want to come back different. I want to be counted on as a guy,” Austin said, according to Steelers.com. “That is where my mindset is. I know the things I need to do, the changes I need to make. Especially after playing a season. I have it all lined up and I think I will be able to reach those goals.”
To be counted on as a guy, Austin has to really hone in on his route running and show the ability to win in a variety of ways offensively, rather than as just a deep-ball threat. He didn’t really create much after the catch this past season, generating just 73 yards after the catch. Thirty-six of those yards came on his 72-yard touchdown against the Raiders in Week 3.
Adding some strength to his frame and continuing to develop a full route tree will go a long way toward Austin becoming more of that guy who is counted on offensively at the receiver position. Too often in 2023, Austin was that one-trick pony, running vertical routes to stretch the defense or taking quick screens to try and create something after the catch.
He was also a flashing red light for a jet sweep when on the field, so new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will have to be creative in Austin’s usage in 2024, should he have a role offensively.
No matter what happens, Austin is looking forward to seeing his hard work this offseason pay off on the field.
“I want to get my body back right, my route focus and detail focus. Watching and then playing, I have two different aspects of looking at things,” Austin said, according to Steelers.com. “Going into this third year, I know what I need as far as my route detail. I used to say I will work on everything, but now it’s specific things that you need to focus on and clean up to steadily improve your game.
“I would say route detail and overall body composition is my focus.”
If Austin can really develop a full route tree and show that he can handle any assignment as a route runner, that could go a long way towards him getting onto the field more, either in the slot or on the boundary in an effort to give Johnson and Pickens a blow here or there.
Though he’s very undersized, he’s shown he can be durable at the NFL level playing through an entire season and certainly has the speed to win in the NFL. He was able to do that in college, too, but now needs to add to his game, focusing on his route tree.
It’s a good plan of attack for the offseason. If Austin can add to his game in the right areas, he could be an overlooked piece entering training camp that could really open some eyes and carve out a role.
