Buy or Sell: The Steelers will take Calvin Austin III off punt return duties due to a bigger offensive role.
Explanation: Calvin Austin had some success as a punt returner, including a touchdown last season, but he is eyeing bigger things now. He is in contention for the Steelers’ No.2 WR role, and that takes up a lot of your time. Meanwhile, they have added players who can return, even listing rookie DB Donte Kent as a punt returner.
Buy:
The Steelers have a history of removing players from return roles when they take on starting jobs offensively or defensively. It doesn’t matter if Calvin Austin is nominally the “No. 2 WR”, if there will even be such a thing. The fact is he will have more responsibilities on offense, which means fewer responsibilities elsewhere.
The Steelers drafted Donte Kent in part due to his punt return ability, and they also have Kenneth Gainwell. I’m sure there are other players they will want to take a look at as well. And besides, after Austin scored his touchdown, his performance on returns declined. He even lost a fumble in the regular-season finale.
Sell:
You can probably bet that Calvin Austin will campaign to retain his job as punt returner. Regardless of what his role is on offense, it’s something that he wants to do. It gives him another means of making an impact, and his punt return touchdown is probably the highlight of his career.
Sure, the Steelers, and many teams, move returners off those roles when they take over elsewhere. But this isn’t an Antonio Brown situation, or even a Santonio Holmes. Calvin Austin might not even be in the Steelers’ top three targets this year. It’s DK Metcalf in the wide receiver room, and then there’s everybody else. The only way he isn’t the punt returner this year is if somebody actually beats him out.
The Steelers are building toward the 2025 season, following yet another disappointing year. While they reached the playoffs, they once again lost decisively 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).
