Steelers Name Leader For No. 2 Wide Receiver Job
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers have been looking to add No. 2 wide receiver since trading George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys last month. But Steelers wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni believes he is already on the roster.
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'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.'
Pittsburgh selected Austin in the fourth round (No. 138 overall) of the 2022 NFL Draftt. He then missed the entirety of his rookie season due to a foot injury.
However, the 26-year-old has steadily improved every year since. In 2023, he had 17 catches for 180 yards and one touchdown, and then last season, he had a career-high 36 catches for 548 yards and four touchdowns.
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III in a game against the Buffalo Bills on Aug. 17, 2024 — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
That isn't elite, or even No. 2 wide receiver, production, but if he continues to take another step forward in Year 4, he could certainly get there.
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Austin isn't letting his semi-breakout season slow him down, either.
'Not glamouring over last year. I remember the fact that I'm a walk on,' Austin said. 'I have notes in my phone, texts and stuff. I remember people didn't think I would be here. My family, my dad, some of my coaches were the only people to believe in me. So that's what really is my motivation year after year and is why going into this season, it's not anything different or new for me.'
The Steelers could still opt to acquire another wide receiver, and rightfully so, since Austin plays primarily in the slot at his 5-foot-9, 162-pound frame. But there's no doubt all eyes will be on Austin this summer, especially as he enters the final year of his rookie deal.
That has Azzanni as excited as ever for his overlooked unit.
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'Everyone's downplaying, underplaying our group right now,' Azzanni said. 'I love it that way. I don't really want anyone looking at us, anyway.'
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Name Leader For No. 2 Wide Receiver Job
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