The Steelers’ wide receiver position was one of the unexpected highlights from their Friday night loss to the Texans. The Steelers received harsh criticism from reporters and analysts for not having enough receiving depth. They have been attempting to trade for Brandon Aiyuk because of this.
In the Friday night game, third-year receiver Calvin Austin III left a lasting impression. His performance made a strong argument for him to be the number two receiver after George Pickens and showed that he’s ready to step up to the next level.
Calvin Austin had a big preseason game against the Texans
In Friday night’s game, Austin led all the receivers in receiving yardage. He had three targets and two receptions but racked up 49 receiving yards and averaged 24.5 yards per reception. However, he would have had a touchdown on his third target if Kyle Allen had not overthrown him, as he was wide open in the corner of the end zone in the first quarter. The pass was just a little high, resulting in him landing out of bounds.
Fans had to like his performance, which bolstered some of the Steelers’ chatter from Russell Wilson earlier in the preseason about how much he liked Austin. If the Steelers underutilized Austin in 2023, his performance on Friday Night indicates he is ready to take his game to the next level.
It’s clear that if the Steelers give Austin more playing time and Russell Wilson or even Justin Fields throw to him, he could make some significant plays in 2024. Remember, he did rip off a 72-yard touchdown reception in 2023. His initial performance this year only served as a reminder of his potential to make multiple such plays.
We will need to wait to see how everything is sorted out, as many of the players still need to continue making impressions on Mike Tomlin in the next two preseason games. However, if the Steelers turn to Austin more in the preseason, it’s hard to imagine him not getting bumped up to the number two receiver if he keeps playing at the level he did Friday night.
