PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Steelers are still looking for their WR2, but will abandon any consideration of outside candidates after Week 3. After the outstanding performances of not one, but two wideouts, the core has options and emerging young talent they could draw on in the future.
For the first time in his three-year career, Calvin Austin was the Steelers’ leading scorer and was named the team’s Digest Player of the Week. How? Well, his four-catch, 95-yard performance helped him, and his 55-yard touchdown backed it up.
After touting Austin as a breakout prospect throughout the summer, he got off to a slow start this season, catching two passes for 13 yards in Week 3 and finishing with his best game of the NFL.
The offensive game plan was tailored to Austin, allowing him to use his speed to find gaps in the middle of the defense and create yards after the catch. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith designed the plan to utilize his smaller weapons, and when Van Jefferson went out with an eye injury, it seemed like the offense would utilize Austin even more.
If there’s anyone who can claim the WR2 job right now, Austin is the favorite. He’s only 25 years old and seems to fit well alongside George Pickens. Pat Freiermuth, who finished with four catches for 33 yards, is clearly the second target for Justin Fields, but Austin is the second receiver.
The next name the Steelers should look to bring into play more often is Scotty Miller. The veteran wide receiver came to Pittsburgh after spending time with Smith in Atlanta. Nobody had high expectations for him, and he failed to make a catch in his first two games.
His third game ended with two pass catches for 31 yards, including a 20-yard catch on third down where he broke a tackle on the sideline and gained many yards on a crucial play to keep Pittsburgh’s offensive drive alive.
Without Jefferson, the Steelers were able to test out new wideouts and it worked. That’s not to say they should take Jefferson out of the running, but it’s exciting to see what the players who were passed over can do in more important moments.
The Steelers may have a reliable player in Millers and maybe a WR2 in Austin. What they will do next week is unknown, but after months of talking about making changes, the talk now should be about not making any changes.
Let’s let this group perform like they did against Los Angeles. Maybe it’s finally time to see what they have in their smaller candidates.
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