The Pittsburgh Steelers are going into the coming season with a similar situation when it comes to the wide receiver room.
Last season, the departure of Diontae Johnson led to a lack of depth behind George Pickens that was not fully addressed and led to issues down the stretch as the Steelers completely faltered during the last couple weeks of the season.
Now, with Pickens gone and DK Metcalf the top option, the Steelers are left in quite a similar situation. One player who will carry over between the two rooms is Calvin Austin III, who has spent his entire career to this point with the Steelers.
According to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, the Steelers seem to value Austin more than any other team thinks they do, and that they have faith in his production as a possible second or third option this coming season. In a release of his offseason NFL takeaways, Breer spoke about the Steelers wideout briefly, mentioning him following coverage on the Pickens trade news.
"While we’re there, the Steelers think more highly of Calvin Austin III than people realize. He’d be a name to watch with Pickens gone." Breer wrote.
Austin had a bit of a third-year surge, logging 452 yards and four touchdowns as a wideout and also collected his first punt return touchdown of his career during Monday Night Football against the New York Giants.
Austin was a standout at the University of Memphis, spending his entire five-year tenure in college with the Tigers, including redshirting his first season. Austin finished college with 2,541 yards and 22 receiving touchdowns before being selected by the Steelers in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. With Kenny Pickett and Pickens gone, Austin will likely be the largest contributor for the Steelers of the 2022 class, with Connor Heyward and Mark Robinson the other selections that remain on the roster.
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