The Pittsburgh Steelers special teams unit under Danny Smith has been exciting for the last decade, sometimes intentionally. Smith was hired in 2013 to be the special teams coordinator. He is a well-liked staff member, but the results have been anything but consistent. Chris Boswell has been solid to spectacular for most of that period, but the other units have had their highs and lows.
The Steelers have been searching for a consistent option in the return game for quite a while. Antonio Brown was the best returner in recent memory for Pittsburgh. He became too valuable as a wide receiver to risk on special teams, and Pittsburgh has been searching for an explosive replacement since. The Steelers brought in Gunner Olszewski to solidify that aspect of special teams in 2022. After fumbling away the New England Patriots game, he lost his job to Steven Sims in less than half of a season.
Pittsburgh did not specifically draft Calvin Austin III to be a punt returner. The former Memphis Tigers wide receiver was one of the fastest players in college football in 2021. Despite his diminutive size, Austin was not a gadget player in college. The 2022 Defensive Rookie of The Year, Sauce Gardener called Austin his toughest matchup at the collegiate level. It is easy to see why if you watch the highlight reel of his college career on YouTube here.
Austin was the early talk of training camp in 2022, but he disappeared with a foot injury just before the first preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks. He lost the entire season because of the ailment. Perhaps no player in the 2023 preseason debut was more anticipated than Austin. The rumors of his speed were almost unbelievable, and fans wanted to see if he could live up to the hype.
Steelers 2nd Year Wide Receiver Calvin Austin Is Ready To Takeover Games With His Blazing Speed
Austin got behind the defense in his first NFL game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Mason Rudolph found him for a beautiful 67-yard touchdown. The second-year professional demonstrated what would happen if any defensive back decided to let him run freely down the field. Precious few NFL defensive backs possess the speed you need to run with Austin.
Austin was rumored to be involved in the 2023 punt return competition with Olszewski and Jordan Byrd. His tantalizing speed easily overmatches Olszewski and Byrd, but how he would fair under the lights remained. On Saturday night against the Buffalo Bills, Austin settled in for the first punt return of his NFL career. One 54-yard dash later, any suggestion of a 'competition' was a moot point.
Of course, you could find fault that after turning on the jets, Austin allowed himself to be slowed enough by the punter to be caught. If you were a killjoy, you could point out that if he were more experienced, he would have split the punter and defender and just zoomed into the end zone. Before he officially returns his second punt, Smith needs something to coach Austin on. The first attempt put a big smile on Mike Tomlin's face on Saturday night.
Few NFL coaches can express emotion on the sideline like Tomlin. The Steelers offense and special teams so far in the 2023 preseason are giving every indication they intend to rise to the level of one of the highest-paid defenses in the NFL. Pittsburgh wants to run the ball and play great defense, but if the Steelers have found a way to put big plays into Matt Canada's offense to make Kenny Pickett's life easier, the results just might be super.
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