PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers seem to have a candidate to be their WR2, likely Calvin Austin III. Steelers wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni officially named Austin as the WR2 despite speculation of an outside addition and Roman Wilson’s strong spring performance.
“I think that No. 2 spot is all Calvin [Austin III]’s right now,” Azzanni said. “Really, him and DK [Metcalf] are such different players that there’s going to be plays that he is the one guy because that’s his route, and vice versa, because they’re so different... Nothing affects him and he’s a great leader. He can do a lot of things that a No. 2 can do.”
The Steelers are impressed by Austin’s performance over his last two seasons. He missed his entire rookie season with a lisfranc injury, but last year was the breakout campaign he needed.
Austin became one of the NFL’s best punt returners. He had 28 returns for 289 yards and one touchdown. Austin posted four touchdowns and 548 receiving yards as a receiver on 36 receptions. He averaged 15.2 yards per reception as a downfield threat.
New wide receiver DK Metcalf is quite impressed by Austin’s work and has been impressed by him in practice.
“He’s a little jitterbug out there, but he’s explosive as heck,” Metcalf said.
The positive signs are all there for Austin, who played the best football of his NFL career. He heads into the last year of his rookie contract in 2025, looking to take a step up in his game last year. With Pickens gone, Austin now has a chance to do just that, and land a lucrative contract.