Calvin Austin III took a nice step forward for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024. While it wasn’t exactly a breakout season, he showed promise as a viable NFL wide receiver. This year, with receiver once again a question mark, the Steelers are looking for Austin to take another jump. Unfortunately, he’s been out of action for the past several weeks due to an injury. Austin recently shared how he’s been feeling about his injury.
“Very frustrating,” Austin said Monday via the team’s website. “Just because practice, and new team, new year. Not being out there is never fun. So, just trying to stay engaged and locked in.”
Austin seemed to be progressing toward a return on Monday, which is a good sign that his injury won’t keep him out much longer. There aren’t many details about his injury, so his timetable is unclear. However, he could miss the entire preseason, which isn’t ideal.
During that same video, Austin was also asked about his chances at returning for Week 1, but he gave a more non-committal answer.
“Whatever the medical staff and Coach [Mike Tomlin] say, I’m going to follow that.”
Hopefully, Austin is able to return for Week 1. If he doesn’t, then someone else will have to step up at wide receiver. While Austin’s injury is unfortunate, it’s provided opportunities for other players, such as Roman Wilson.
Wilson was a rookie last year, but he missed basically the entire season due to an injury. Coming into this season, Mike Tomlin hasn’t been shy about putting pressure on Wilson to perform. While he started slowly, he’s been more impressive as of late. In both the Steelers’ preseason games, Wilson played well.
And if Austin is forced to miss the start of the regular season, Wilson appears to be the next man up. The Steelers’ offense has other weapons that should help fill that void, too. Their tight ends figure to be a large part of their offense, and Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith both have proven history as pass catchers. Darnell Washington is starting to develop in that department, too.
Additionally, the Steelers may still looking to add to their receiver room. Free agent Gabe Davis is reportedly scheduled to make his second visit to Pittsburgh. If all goes well, perhaps they’ll sign him. Even if they do, it’s likely going to take him some time to acclimate as he hops on their moving train. The Steelers would love to have Austin back, so hopefully, he progresses well enough over the coming weeks to play in their season opener.
