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Calvin Austin’s rookie season was over before it began. On the eve of the 2022 preseason kickoff, the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver suffered a foot injury in practice. Eventually, he would land on injured reserve, but not before an attempt to return. After a couple of rounds of testing his foot in practice, he tweaked it again and opted for season-ending surgery. It wasn’t meant to be.
“When I went back out there, I was impressed with myself,” Austin said via Steelers.com in February 2023. “I was excited and hoping to help the team. I just had another misstep at practice, and we decided to get it fixed.
It was a massive blow for the speedy Austin, who was lighting it up with highlight reels during training camp in the summer of 2022. The Memphis product’s 4.32 40-yard dash at the 2022 NFL Combine ranked third among wide receivers.
Fast forward a year, and Austin, 24, is back at it like he never lost a step. He’s one in a loaded wide receiver room, but in his NFL debut versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on August 11 stated his case for the No. 4 spot behind Dionate Johnson, George Pickens and Allen Robinson.
The impetus could’ve been a challenge from Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. In his eyes, Austin is essentially a second-year rookie. Until you’ve done something, you’ve done nothing. “I’ve been challenging him,” Tomlin said. “The challenge for him is to perform in a setting like this for a guy who has been around here.”
Tomlin noted that throughout his time on injured reserve, Austin was a consistent presence at practice and team meetings, which helped him stay current, but the real work happens on the grass. “I’ve been challenging him,” Tomlin said in an August 6 press conference. “The challenge for him is to perform in a setting like this for a guy who has been around here. He’s been around here, but he hasn’t had physical reps, so it’s a challenge.”
In the short time since Austin returned to the field, he’s answered that challenge. “So far, so good. He’s not performing like a rookie. He’s performing like a guy who has been in the program and that’s been encouraging.”
Mike Tomlin Isn’t the Only Steeler Who Likes What He Sees
For wide receivers, there’s not much better teammate to get a compliment from than a cornerback. Pittsburgh Steelers corner Patrick Peterson, whose shown all the characteristics of a future Hall of Famer, has praise in spades for Calvin Austin. When prompted about his offensive and defensive standouts on a recent All Things Covered episode, he didn’t hesitate. “I’m going to go with Calvin Austin on offense. I feel like he’s been showing up lately. He definitely looks like he’s the fastest player on the team.”
That’s huge for a player coming off a serious foot injury that required surgery. Back in June, Peterson recalled his first encounter with Austin at OTAs.
“That joker’s fast!… I ain’t ever seen Austin before,” Peterson said. “All I know is he’s a little guy and he’s outside. If he’s a little guy outside, he must got wheels. But I’ve never seen him in action. He made a little move, he may have gotten an arm length ahead of me. But I ended up giving him one of my tug and pulls to get me back in position to make the play.”
Getting a good look at the play during post-practice film study, Peterson felt like he was left in the dark.
“Coach Grady Brown comes back in film, ‘We all owe Pat P an apology. We didn’t tell him 19 had wheels like this,'” he said.
“I said, ‘You dang on right, ya’ll owe me an apology,'” he continued. “I’m in Year 13, got a million miles on the tires and y’all ain’t even tell me this man runs a 4.2.”
That quickness is still talked about years later by one of the best cornerbacks in the league. New York Jets’ Sauce Gardner called Austin the toughest wide receiver he guarded. The 5-foot-8 Tiger left Gardner on more than one occasion.
Calvin Austin Impresses in Steelers vs. Buccaneers NFL Debut
It’s only one game, and in the preseason at that, but Calvin Austin made a good first impression in his NFL debut versus the Buccaneers.
He turned on those jets that everyone’s been touting, beating his defender on a dime from quarterback Mason Rudolph for a 67-yard touchdown.
He finished the night with two receptions for 73 yards and a score while adding 23 rushing yards on two carries.
Austin still has to prove to Mike Tomlin that he’s more than just a set of wheels. “At this level, when it’s good on good, speed doesn’t win,” he said in an August 11 press conference. “It’s speed in combination with know-how and skills relative to your position.”
Kenny Pickett called Austin a player to watch in the 2023 season. It’ll be fun to see how the Steelers use his skillset (and if one of those ways is as a kick returner). Hopefully offensive coordinator Matt Canada doesn’t screw a good thing up.
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