Player: WR Calvin Austin III
Stock Value: Down
Reasoning: After a minor breakout season for the Steelers, WR Calvin Austin III could struggle to find snaps in 2025. With DK Metcalf in the house and Roman Wilson due for a big jump, he is looking at WR No. 4- at least that is probably what the Steelers are hoping for, and that would be a good problem.
Calvin Austin caught 36 passes last season for the Steelers, up from 17 the year before. He boosted his yardage from 180 to 548. And he caught four touchdown passes instead of one, adding a punt return touchdown as well.
Despite the improvement in his output, Austin could be looking at the No. 4 receiver role for the Steelers. With George Pickens and DK Metcalf in front of him, he has to compete with second-year Roman Wilson. The Steelers drafted Wilson in the third round last year, and he basically missed his rookie season due to injury.
Calvin Austin knows a thing or two about losing your rookie season due to a string of injuries. He can relate to what Wilson went through last year. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin even cited Austin as an example for Wilson to look to in overcoming a bad start.
But while Austin proved that he can be a contributor, how much playing time is available? If Wilson wins the No. 3 WR job, snaps will be hard to find. The Steelers like to use TEs Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington, perhaps increasingly so. And Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell are both passing-game contributors.
The Steelers will not run many four-receiver sets even with an Aaron Rodgers. Calvin Austin will still get his playing time, especially when they are looking for a deep threat, but it will be spotty. He will get a couple of snaps here, a series there.
Or he can beat out Roman Wilson and serve as a dangerous deep threat. His future is still out in front of him, and it’s up to him to write his story. Of course, Austin has some natural limitations, such as his height. But he proved to the Steelers last year that he can be a positive contributor.
With the new league year underway and the Steelers turning their roster over, it’s once again time to “take stock”. It took a while, but we finally saw some of that change the team talked about after the season ended. Certainly, the move to trade for WR DK Metcalf qualifies as a change, not to mention the accompanying contract.
There is still a long way to go before we know what this Steelers team is going to look like. Once the dust settles on free agency, we turn our attention to the draft, and so on. What other moves might the team make, perhaps unexpected acquisitions or departures? If they traded for one player, they could certainly trade for another, or trade one away. This is a Steelers team starving for postseason success, but how desperate are they for a playoff win in 2025?
