Buy or Sell: Calvin Austin III will beat out Roman Wilson and Robert Woods for the Steelers’ No. 3 WR job.
Explanation: Calvin Austin III is sort of the Steelers’ forgotten man in the wide receiver room, with recent focus on Roman Wilson and Robert Woods. Austin is largely a known commodity at this point, while the others are not. But perhaps it is a mistake to assume Austin has already reached his ceiling with nothing more to offer. He won’t grow any taller, but he can put up bigger numbers.
Buy:
I don’t know why so many people are still sleeping on Calvin Austin III, but he is probably the best wide receiver the Steelers have behind George Pickens and DK Metcalf. Roman Wilson could be, but he hasn’t shown it yet. As for Robert Woods, we’ve already played this record when previously issued under other names. Whether called Allen Robinson or Van Jefferson, the song remains the same.
Let’s not forget that Austin has worked with less-than-ideal circumstances, and Wilson and Woods should benefit from improvements this season. Assuming Aaron Rodgers is the quarterback, he will be able to find Austin and let him use his speed. That’s one thing he has that the others don’t.
Sell:
If we have learned anything about Calvin Austin at this point, it’s that he thrives as a fourth receiver. Limit his role and his snaps, and he can be a dangerous weapon. But Roman Wilson and Robert Woods are better equipped in terms of skillset to handle a larger role.
There is also the fact that Austin is simply small. We have seen on numerous occasions that sometimes he’s just not big enough to make a play. And there’s nothing he can do about that, even if Roman Wilson isn’t huge, either. For all we know, the Steelers might still add another player to the mix before all is said and done.
The Steelers are building toward the 2025 season, following yet another disappointing year. While they reached the playoffs, they once again lost authoritatively in the first round. They are facing questions, both publicly, and perhaps privately as well. Questions about The Standard, and what the Steelers stand for.
The rookie class of a year ago was successful, but they need to step up into staple starters in 2025. And they need everyone healthy to do it, not an insignificant consideration. They needed a strong influx of talent in both free agency and in the 2025 NFL draft yet again.
These sorts of uncertainties are what we will address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, we will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
