The Pittsburgh Steelers’ passing game is full of untapped potential and they finally have a quarterback to help unlock some of it this year. Two big pieces of the puzzle are fourth-year WR Calvin Austin III and second-year WR Roman Wilson. According to their position coach, they are miles ahead of where they were last year.
“Both of those guys are in different parts of their journey, but night and day,” Zach Azzanni told reporters Wednesday in audio provided by the team. “Calvin is, I said this last year after minicamp if you guys remember…I said I am really excited about his future because he’s gotten better and better and he did it all season. He’s a different player than he was a year ago. And that’s a testament to him, how he works. He’s able to take coaching. He’s able to take criticism. Those are good things.”
Austin is entering a critical year for the future of his career and his future with the team. While I would personally love to see them work toward an extension this offseason, I recognize that Austin has no incentive to do that with the potential for a big year ahead. He will be an unrestricted free agent next year.
An injury kept him off the field for his entire rookie season and he was barely a factor in his second year before having a mini-breakout season in 2024. He caught 36 passes for 548 yards and four TDs while providing excellent play in the punt-return game all season.
Azzanni referred to him as the team’s WR2 today. There is still the possibility they could add to that room but calling him the No. 2 is a good sign of their faith in him.
As for Wilson, he is where Austin was just a couple years ago coming off a lost rookie season due to injury. As a third-round pick, the Steelers were counting on Wilson to help them last year, but an ankle injury in training camp and a hamstring injury in-season prevented that from happening.
According to multiple beat reporters, he has been one of the last ones off the field with an impressive spring so far. Now he needs to show that he can translate that into training camp once the pads come on and ultimately into the season.
“Roman is no different,” Azzanni said. “Same way he is night and day from what he was a year ago. He also spent a lot of time in the offseason really dissecting football, his game. He knows the things he doesn’t know and wanted to get better at them.
“So again, I just lay out the plan. If they follow it, the sky’s the limit.”
Azzanni noted that he is “pleased” with where Wilson is. Omar Khan told the media that he wouldn’t have traded George Pickens if the Steelers weren’t excited about their current group of wide. A lot of that excitement comes from young players like Austin and Wilson.
They both have a large opportunity ahead of them with Aaron Rodgers throwing them the ball. If they can earn his trust, it could amount to a breakout season for both of them.
