Steelers WR Calvin Austin III Leaves Game with Injury

DENVER — Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III took a brutal shot from Denver Broncos safety P.J. Locke late in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game. Locke was penalized for unnecessary roughness. Austin was able to get up on his own power and went into the blue medical tent to get evaluated.

The Broncos thought they made a third-down stop but P.J. Locke got nabbed for hitting Austin as a defenseless receiver. Locke tossed his helmet in disagreement after the play. It was a tough break for Locke as he was running full speed to break up a pass and just ran into Austin’s head. That’s going to get called every time in today’s NFL, however.

Austin has one reception for 6 yards in the game. Pat Freiermuth is the leading receiver with four receptions for 39 yards.

After missing his rookie season with a foot injury that required surgery and a sophomore campaign that didn’t live up to his expectations, Austin is putting in the work to make sure that 2024 is his best campaign yet.

“I’ve definitely improved each year but I hate to make it seem like it’s something drastic. I’m still me. I still work really hard and I’m the same person,” Austin. said.

The entire offense is going through a massive schematic shift under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who has had some success with smaller receivers with similar frames in the past, such as Kalif Raymond in Tennessee and Olamide Zaccheaus during their time together in Atlanta. So far, Smith has made a good impression on his playmakers.

“He uses everyone’s skill set and that’s really what he does great. It doesn’t matter if you’re a tight end, running back, short receiver or a big receiver,” Austin said. “If you look at his past, he’s used all of those types of players in a variety of different ways. You just have to trust him, trust his offense. As I’ve seen already, we’ve started gelling, clicking and everything is flowing.”

Alan Saunders contributed reporting from Denver.