Is Calvin Austin III in danger of going on IR?
Yesterday, Calvin Austin III declined to give a direct answer when asked about going on the Reserve/Injured List (IR) due to his injury. Basically, he said that’s a question for the coaches and they have a plan. While that’s fair enough, it’s also fair to question the possibility that happens.
Austin injured his shoulder in Week 4 against the Vikings, finishing the game in a hospital. With the Steelers on a bye, though, there was no urgency for any movement. In other words, the fact that the Steelers didn’t place him on IR yet is irrelevant.
Remember, a player has to miss four games, not four weeks, while on IR, so the bye week wouldn’t have counted for Austin anyway. I would imagine a reporter asking him about it may have had some idea of the severity of his injury. Now, maybe that isn’t the case, but even so, Austin’s response wasn’t dismissive of the idea.
And instead, Austin talked up his other receivers and how they’ll step up in his absence. While that’s not necessarily a sign that he is headed for IR, this could obviously be a multi-game situation. And considering the lack of production from the other receivers, that’s significant.
Through four games, Calvin Austin caught 10 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns. In Week 1, he caught four passes for 70 yards and a touchdown. Since then, he hasn’t put up similar numbers, but the Steelers’ passing game hasn’t exactly thrived. In his last game, he saw only two targets, a season low, though of course he also missed most of the final quarter.
If the Steelers place Austin on IR, they do have other avenues to explore. The tight end position has not been sufficiently tapped in the passing game, for example, particularly Pat Freiermuth. Then again, Austin had only been averaging four targets a game, so it’s not like that changes a great deal.
After another disappointing season and months of retooling, the Steelers are set to try it all again in 2025. Though they limped into the playoffs, they once again embarrassed themselves therein.
Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers isthe quarterback question. They settled in on Aaron Rodgers, but we still have a lot to learn about him. The2025 NFL Draft class could play a big role, but veteran additions like Jalen Ramsey will be paramount.
Now we are in the regular season. From Rodgers to George Pickens to Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ramsey, we’ve seen the Steelers make some big changes. Now it’s about evaluating the roster in place and figuring out how it all works out.
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