The Pittsburgh Steelers have been somewhat reliant on big plays in the passing game over the last two seasons. The offense's inability to march down the field consistently and put together good drives has created a need for shot plays. George Pickens has made quite a few big plays in his first two seasons with the team, but other than him, it's been pretty quiet.
In 2022, the Steelers drafted Calvin Austin III out of Memphis in the fourth round in large part due to his blazing speed and big play ability. So far, we've seen flashes of that, but not what we expected. After Austin III missed his entire rookie season, he came back in 2023 and put up 17 receptions for 180 yards and 2 total touchdowns.
72 of his 180 yards came on a touchdown pass against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3. 72-yard touchdowns are what you want to see from a receiver that ran a 4.32 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, but Austin III was pretty quiet after that play.
Austin III is heading into his second healthy season and with the departure of Diontae Johnson, it's time for him to make a big leap and become a more consistent contributor. He doesn't have to score a 72-yard touchdown every game, but his speed can be used in all sorts of ways to help move the chains and put points on the board. In Brian Batko's Steelers Chat , a fan asked Batko if Austin III has looked better throughout offseason workouts.
Batko's answer is exactly what Steelers fans need to hear: "Yeah, I liked what I saw from Austin in OTAs.
