Pittsburgh Steelers WR coach Zach Azzanni told the media Wednesday that the WR2 job is Calvin Austin III’s right now. While he may end up with the second most receptions and yards behind DK Metcalf by the end of the year, is he really going to be lining up on the outside? According to one beat writer on site throughout the spring, Austin has worked almost exclusively in the slot.
“Calvin’s been working a lot in the slot. He hasn’t been outside too much to be honest with you,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo said via 93.7 The Fan’s PM Team. “So Calvin’s a natural slot receiver…Even if you want to call him a No. 3, the way he’s gonna work in the slot, he’s been really good and I think he’s gonna get a lot of targets and a lot of catches.”
Whether or not Austin is lining up on the outside this year remains to be seen. But the Steelers currently view him as their second-best receiver. It’s easy to get caught up with the X, Y and Z positions at wide receiver and assign value to each role, but the best receivers are capable of playing anywhere. Amon-Ra St. Brown played nearly 45 percent of his snaps in the slot last year and he’s getting paid WR1 money, as one example.
Austin played 270 snaps out wide last year compared to 357 in the slot. His frame typecasts him as a slot receiver, but he showed he can win on the outside at times with his speed and route running. According to Azzanni, he’s night and day from where he was this time last year.
For the three games that George Pickens missed with an injury last season, Austin had 65 snaps out wide compared to just 41 in the slot. Calling him just a slot receiver is a misnomer.
The Steelers have more than one guy like that, too. Roman Wilson played a strong mix in the slot and out wide in college. He’s likely to continue in that role this season. Even DK Metcalf has played over 100 snaps in the slot during each of his NFL seasons.
Could the Steelers add another receiver with a bigger frame to fit the traditional mold of an outside receiver a bit better? Of course they could, but it’s perfectly okay to refer to a slot receiver as the team’s WR2. That is exactly the role Austin might fill this season.
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