Just a month ago I wrote about how WR Calvin Austin III, having just completed his second season, had a difficult path ahead to make a case for his long-term position within the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense. After missing his entire rookie season with a foot injury after being selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, he only played 34.9 percent of the Steelers’ total offensive snaps in the 2023 season. With Diontae Johnson previously under contract through the 2024 season, it was going to be difficult for Austin to increase his role before the clock winds down on his rookie contract. With Johnson traded to the Carolina Panthers, Austin is very much in play to see an increased role next season.
We got a snapshot of what Austin’s usage looked like last season without Johnson while the latter was sidelined with a hamstring injury in Weeks 2 through 5. Over that span, Austin played no fewer than 30 snaps per game, and as much as 53 in Week 4 against the Houston Texans. In those games, including Week 1 where Johnson exited shortly after halftime, Austin had 12 receptions on 22 targets for 143 yards and one touchdown.
After Johnson returned, Austin was only targeted eight more times the rest of the season and never played more than 20 snaps in a single game. Also keep in mind that Allen Robinson II was on the roster last season, which also kept Austin off the field to a lesser extent. Robinson was released last week on March 8.
Entering the 2023 season, QB Kenny Pickett said Austin was set to play a huge role within the offense. Now the stage is set for that to be the case. Especially with QB Russell Wilson coming to town. He has made a name for himself over the years with his pretty deep ball. Here is an example from last season.
The Seattle Seahawks version of Wilson is probably not what Pittsburgh should expect, but he does still have a strong arm that can get the ball to speedsters like Austin and George Pickens. We saw what happened late in the 2023 season when Mason Rudolph started pushing the ball down the field more. It opened up the entire offense, including a much-improved rushing attack, down the stretch.
The Steelers may draft a wide receiver early, but Austin has a full season of NFL experience and another season on the sidelines working to his advantage. It may finally be time to see his 4.32-second 40-yard dash time unleashed to its full potential.
