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Steelers third-year WR making strong impression on coach
The Steelers coaching staff has made it clear that they are not concerned with naming a No. 2 wide receiver.
However, whether Pittsburgh wants to put a label on it or not, the team is going to need to replace the production of wide receiver Diontae Johnson, who was traded to the Carolina Panthers in March.
Over the past five years, Johnson has amassed 391 catches for 4,363 yards and 25 touchdowns.
Who that player or players will be is up for debate, but wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni has had a positive early impression of third-year wide receiver Calvin Austin III.
"He's been outstanding," Azzanni said. "He's a worker. He's intentful. He's urgent. He wants to be coached and you can see it."
Austin, a fourth-round pick in 2022, missed his entire rookie season after suffering a foot injury that kept him on injured reserve for the remainder of the year.
Expectations did not go away for the 25-year-old heading into 2023 as fans were excited to finally see his 4.32-second 40-yard dash speed put on display.
However, that is hardly what happened. Outside of a 72-yard touchdown in Week 3, Austin was held in check, finishing his second season with just 17 catches for 180 yards and one touchdown.
Now heading into his third year in the league, he sees a chance to finally make a jump.
"Oh yeah, most definitely. It's out there," Austin stated. "My focus is on every day get better. I know if I do that, everything else will work itself out."
That will start with building a rapport with new quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, but Austin believes that is already off to a great start.
"Just reps, being consistent, just showing up to work every day," Austin added. "Talking on and off the field. Once you do that, it'll just all come together."
Austin may not develop into the legitimate No. 2 wide receiver the Steelers are looking for with most of his reps coming out of the slot, but he has a chance to contribute more than he has and help fill the void left by Johnson.
All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted
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Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's biggest find is ready to take a huge step forward, and it could be huge for Brian Flores' defense
After joint practice on Wednesday between the Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots, I was asked by some members of the Patriots beat about just one player. "Who's 61? He's a dude." That player is Jalen Redmond, who has quite the story heading into his second season with the Vikings. He was playing in the UFL in the spring of 2024 with the Arlington Renegades. He was a signing the Vikings made on June 18th, 2024, which came after mandatory minicamp. Redmond was the 90th player on the roster and excelled throughout training camp to earn a roster spot. That ability is showing up once again. Jalen Redmond is taking another step forward The signing of Redmond was a massive win for general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and his scouting staff, especially Ryan Grigson, who was given a lot of credit for finding him. "I remember he [Grigson] called me and said, 'I like this guy.' I think it was late May," Adofo-Mensah explained. "You have to ask yourself, what's your standard for bringing people in, because a lot of good players are on teams already, so there's going to be something there that's not perfect, not clean, and earlier he had injuries, so you've got to understand why he's available, but ultimately here's why he might be a good bet. "And you saw the flashes for an interior guy with burst, his run defense kind of jumped out to me. That's the other thing, when you've been together for two or three years, and my history with Grigson before, he knows how to communicate with me, makes a cut-up, knows exactly what we look for." You can see the power and explosiveness in Redmond's game. He rarely gets washed out by the offensive line, and often penetrates the backfield with his ability. Where things have gotten really interesting with Redmons is seeing how good he can be from a short and long-term perspective. Last season, Redmond played in 13 games and flashed in a major way. While he went undrafted out of Oklahoma, it wasn't so much due to talent, but a health issue that kept him from being selected. He certainly looks like a player who should have been selected. Over the course of the season, Redmond got one sack and 6.0 tackles for loss to pair with 18 tackles. His ability to be a penetrating force on the line earned him a starting role at the end of the season, with two starts in his first year with the Vikings. Going into year two, Redmond shouldn't be overlooked. He won't be a starter with the additions of Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, but it shouldn't be much of a surprise if he approaches 500 snaps as a rotational player. His teammates believe he's a stud, something that Jonathan Greenard emphasized last week. "Redmond is a dog," said Greenard after Redmond's great practice on Thursday. "Jalen's been a dog since last year in training camp. I knew he was a dog when he got thrown out of practices last year. So I was like, listen, from that day forward, he got thrown out, he came back in just completely, just dominating. And at that point even to see it during the season and see him continuously build. Now I'm like, man, everybody knows, but when you see, obviously, you bring in two guys like JA [Jonathan Allen] and Grave [Javon Hargrave], you kind of think that he gets put in the wayside, making the same place he was last year, if not more. And that just helps us out to know that it's not gonna drop off whenever those guys get a breather or something like that. If I'm coaching, I'm putting him in." Don't sleep on Redmond going into this season, as he's only getting better.
Chicago Bears WR Luther Burden makes massive statement in unexpected way vs. Bills
Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver is still battling for reps with the starting offense. Veteran Olamide Zaccheaus has a strong hold on the WR3 gig, and if Burden wants to catch him, he'll need to impress coaches with more than just his playmaking ability. And boy did he do exactly that during Sunday night's Week 2 preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. Burden, whose passion for the finer details of football was questioned during the run-up to the 2025 NFL Draft, did the grunt work that not every receiver is fond of: he got his nose dirty in the run game. Check out this incredible block that cleared the way for an Ian Wheeler touchdown run. Believe it or not, that was Burden's second edge-destroying block that resulted in a Bears' score. Here was the first: Of course, the Bears spent the No. 39 overall pick on Luther Burden primarily because of his playmaking skill set. And he put that on display against the Bills' defense, too. Burden totaled three catches for 49 yards in the first half. He looked every bit the part of game-changing wide receiver. Even in the run game.
Raiders’ Pete Carroll gushes about key offseason acquisition after loss to 49ers
While most Las Vegas Raiders fans are excited about Ashton Jeanty in the preseason, other players under the radar made an impact in the 22-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday. When the Raiders signed former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Terrell Edmunds, people were wondering how he would perform, as he’s already caught the attention of head coach Pete Carroll. After Edmunds recorded five total tackles (fourth on the team), three of them solo, against San Francisco, Carroll would be asked about his thoughts on the former first-round pick’s performance. Carroll would say how much he “really” likes Edmunds and how much of a “very versatile player” he is for the system, according to Anthony Galaviz. “I like him. Yeah, I really like him. I like the experience that he brings,” Carroll said. “He’s been in a lot of situations. He’s been a very versatile player in the style that he’s been asked to play, and that’s shown up already.” Edmunds would speak with reporters for the first time last Tuesday since being signed by Las Vegas and shared how “excited” he was to start a new chapter in his NFL journey. “My first thoughts when the opportunity presented itself, I was just excited,” Edmunds said, via the team’s YouTube page. “Excited to come and join a new team, excited to come and join these guys. I saw how much they were grinding. I watched the (preseason) game before I even came out here.” Pete Carroll on the Raiders losing to the 49ers in the preseason Despite the loss from the Raiders to the 49ers, Carroll would point out the one positive being that it was a “hard-fought game from start to finish,” with many areas that need correction. “First off, I thought this was a really good, hard-fought game from start to finish,” Pete Carroll said in his post-game press conference, via the team’s website. “We had some things that we needed to correct from the practice that we had, and we did. Played the running game much more with impact than we did in practice.” “The adjustments the coaches made worked out well, players were able to adapt in just a couple days time,” Carroll continued. “Against a really formidable running team that loves to run the football, I thought we did that really well. Just a terrific game back and forth the whole time.” Consequently, as Edmunds looks for Las Vegas to be his permanent team, they open the season on Sunday, Sept. 7, against the New England Patriots.
Commanders Trade? Washington 'Shopping' Starting Running Back, Per Report
The Washington Commanders will enter the 2025 season with one of the better offenses in football, if Terry McLaurin signs his new deal, which we think he will. But the front office doesn't appear to be too content with the running back room, and given that none are under contract beyond 2025, it makes this season hugely important for a host of backs. One is Brian Robinson, who has been a consistent presence in the Commanders' backfield for the past three years, posting over 700 rushing yards in each season. However, it appears Washington is ready to offload B-Rob. Per Fox Sports' Jordan Schultz, the Commanders are shopping Robinson around to other teams. "Sources: The #Commanders have been shopping RB Brian Robinson Jr. to teams around the NFL," Schultz tweeted. "The former 3rd-round pick out of Alabama is entering the final year of his contract." Schultz then posted, "Washington likes its RB depth, but Robinson is available for the right price." So, there could be a scenario where B-Rob is on his way out of the nation's capital, but given that he is in the final year of his contract, who would be willing to part ways with draft capital for a one-year rental? We don't think too many would; instead, just wait for the 2025 season to play out and get Robinson as a free agent. Either way, there appears to be change happening for the Commanders with the regular season just around the corner, with their best running back potentially not being on the roster come Week 1.
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